RWBY: Light, Dark, and Shadow
by Undaed15
Summary: Light and Dark always fight, it is nature. Evil approaches the world, and RWBY and JNPR must train and face it. They are not alone in this fight, teams EMAD, EMBR, and a teen who resides in that grey area stand by them. Note: Darker retelling of Eight New Faces.
1. Prologue

**City of Vale: 11:00 P.M.**

 _It is said that the deepest darkness does not rest within nature, but within man. Most darkness cannot comprehend the evil that lies within mans heart, nor can it ever hope to match it. In the path of darkness, there is always the light. The light holds fast against the darkness, even in times of dark…_

The warehouse was dimly lit, dirty as hell, and reeked of body sweat. The men in blue coats lined with gold trim loaded the cargo onto the floor, mere transporters of various drugs, weapons, illegal armor…women. The men worked with detachment, their faces not showing one inch of regret for their captives' plight. Their armor had some meaning, but it was lost on the person in front of them. It was a woman, wearing formal clothing, looking like a queen. The effect was lost though, because of the huge cleaver on her back.

"Tell your commander the sale went off without a hitch," The woman said with a grin, showing off her teeth. They were too sharp to belong to a human, "Tell her that Mary Blud compliments her efforts and her soldiers' efficient behavior."

"Yes ma'me." The lead soldier said with a quick salute, never showing any emotion as he walked off with his hand on his gun, the women's begging could be heard as they were shoved into cargo containers. The sound of the closing door shut them off as Mary started away.

"I've an appointment to keep, you keep loading." She said, and with a quick flourish, she left the building. The woman walked with importance into her car, a lavish red one at that, and was driven away. Unbeknownst to her, a pair of eyes watched her as she left.

" _Merde,_ " The figure watching her drive away, his hand went to his ear, "Mary left, it's just the soldiers now."

"Damnit, wish we could have gotten her too, either way, stick to the plan," Came a hard female voice from the other end, "Alison, cut the power. Thatch, get in there and see if you can intimidate them into surrendering."

"Understood, cap'n." Came a gruff voice on the other end, along with the sound of sliding metal.

"Cutting power in…3…2…1," The warehouse flickered, "Go."

 **Insert "Hero" by Skillet…**

In the building, the soldiers' hands all went to their weapons, righting them as the readied themselves for anything. The main window shattered as a large figure landed, his eyes glowing red, and with his hands clasping two Scottish-claymore style cutlasses.

"Surrender!" He yelled, the soldiers merely aimed their weapons. The random thugs who happened to be there fell into a fetal position, the individual charged the soldiers. Bullets rang out as he reached the first few, his cutlasses flashed; the soldiers fell down like marionettes with their strings cut. He dove behind a nearby van, bullets ringing around him.

"Could use some help here, these bloody bastards don't seem to think that my semblance is worth shit." The teen yelled, his gruff voice carrying a hint of what some would say was an accent of you olde pirates.

The doors opened to reveal another teen, this one clearly illuminated in the moonlight. Her armor was of old make, centurion style, her helmet bore a purple crest as violet as her skirt armor. The effect was lost, though, because of the huge shield she bore. It was also bright purple, which some would say was a horrible idea as it would draw attention. That was the point though, the soldier bullets clanged off her shield, the teen not moving an inch.

That when one of soldier realized that she was quite distracting, as in…very distracting. He looked up, only to see a skylight shattered as another teen fell in. Another female, this one wearing red robes under a green, leather chest plate. This was lost on the soldiers who she landed on as she spun her weapon around, hitting three of the five in a fell swoop. Her weapon, a staff with a hand on the end, a hand with claws that were quite sharp. The other soldiers dodged, one of them pulling out a slender sword.

The tried to charge, but heard a sound behind him. He turned, and saw a 6'1 beast slamming into him. The other soldiers pulled out their swords and proceeded to charge the teen. His cutlasses twisted around two of the three swords, pulling them in for a hard basket hilt punch to the face. The other pulled a pistol as the teen was busy with the pair and almost pulled the trigger. That was before a blast of electricity hit him square in the chest, the teen looked at the shooter. The teen in green smiled gently, only to be blinded by lights to their side.

The drivers had the idea to start running, the engines roared as the various vans drove away, leaving only a sixteen wheeler that had just started. It roared as it started moving, and, because the pair was smart, they dove out of the way. The teen in the front leapt onto the back, realizing the possible contents of the cargo containers. She almost lost her balance, but a thud later and hand grasped hers. Another teen wearing musketeer style armor with blue adornments and a rather nice hat.

"Fearless leader, don't quit on me now, I would hate to see your beautiful face on the pavement." The teen said, his face with the cheekiest of grins. The female scoffed as she started forward, only to be blocked off by two more of the soldiers.

"Think you could help, pretty boy?" The girl yelled as she blocked a blow from the lead man. The male laughed as he ran to her side, his rifle's bayonet in front. The second man drew his sword and met the teen head on, the blades clashed, sparking as the teen fired a shot at the soldier. The bullet broke the engagement, just long enough for the teen to throw his rifle in the air and, with an elaborate flourish, have it open up and the bayonet to be fully revealed as a rapier. The rifle landed on his back, along with his cheeky grin.

The girl was still on the other end of the truck, he shield currently blocking the mans rifle butt. The man was fighting with reckless abandon, like a man without fear. The teen had pulled out a short sword to match him, but the man, whatever kind of faunas he was, held a definitive advantage in strength. The shield was being pushed and the man readied for the kill, only for the shield to be bashed against his skull and flipped to reveal a minigun. The man, even though he had no fear, could still tell that he didn't want be hit with the torrent of lead that thing would spew out. He didn't expect to have another man thrown into his back.

 **End Music…**

The female looked at the other teen with question in her eyes.

"Not worth the wait." He said as he approached the cab, merely grabbing onto the side and flipping to the driver side.

"Pardon _Moi,_ could you pull over for me?" He said as nicely as he could. The terrified driver, to everyone surprise, complied. The truck stopped on the side of the highway, with the driver coming out in a panic. The teen laughed, stopping when his leader pulled out a scroll.

"Holmes," She said, "We have a package."

"Really, what kind we talkin?" Came another voice on the other end, this one gruff yet educated.

"Couple of White Fang, transporting illegal good." The teen said with formalility.

"What kind of good?" The voice on the other end asked, his voice firm.

"Drugs, weapons…women, we got the last one with us right now." The teen said, her voice shaking at the last thing she listed.

"That's all? Got the women?" The man on the other end said, making the teen clench, "It's was a good call, tell me, anything unusual?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary, just…the soldier wore black with gold trim…mean anything to you?" The teen said with a sigh of relief.

"Shit, are they subdued?" The voice asked, his voice becoming darker.

"Yes, they served as guards, we got two here, the rest are at the warehouse. Thatch and Alison are with them" The teen said back.

"Maria, check with them, make sure the soldiers are subdued. I'm on my way with some help." The voice on the end said back, cutting the connection.

"He sounded scared." Came another gruff voice on the end of the line.

"You listened in, Thatch?" Maria asked a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Course I did, the bad guys subdued, mission accomplished," The voice said, making Maria look at the sky as the connection was severed.

"We missed her though…"

 **Meanwhile, in the fancy car…**

Mary was reclining in the back, her driver cruising down the highway. Suddenly her phone rang.

"Hello?" She said her voice thick and sweet.

"Ms. Blud…I…I'm sorry." The scared voice on the other end stuttered.

"What?" She asked back, her voice suddenly hard.

"The site was ambushed; all the Special Forces are…captured." The voice stuttered back.

"And the product?" She asked back.

"All of it got out…except for the Cat House…the women got way." The voice answered back. Mary pondered this, her hand resting on the seat.

"You said all of the soldiers are captured?" She asked.

"Yes." The man answered back, more fearful that ever.

"This…may play to our advantage, they can't report back to that lion bitch. Continue on with normal operations." She said, and with a snap of her scroll, the deal was sealed.

 _Darkness is the opposite of light but while neither can exist without the other, one must always be cautious of the shadow. The beings that exist in the darkness and light, their intentions are nigh impossible to determine. The shadow can be a great enemy, but it can also be the greatest of allies. The ones who have dark and light in their souls, they are the most dangerous. To whom, is the only question._

 **On the other side of the four kingdoms…**

Rain pounded down on the man as he ran through the streets, running like the devil was at his tail. He dove through ally's, jumped over fences, and even through random buildings. He could feel it closing in, that…thing. He was part of a simple mugging, nothing hard. Just find an old rich man, pull him into an alley, and rob him blind, which was before that…thing showed up.

The thing showed up, the man only saw his partner be ripped into the air to know that this creature was something not to be trifled with, and thus…here he was now. The man took a right, only to see a solid wall, he quickly turned…only to see a figure in his way. The neon signs around them illuminated the thing. It was a man, wearing a combat suit tinted black, his face was covered by a mask with white eyeholes. It encased his entire head; the man had no flesh that could be seen, only adding to the fear.

In his hands, he clutched an axe, nothing special, just a plain axe used by woodcutters. That made it all the more scary as anyone who saw a horror movie would know the distinctive shape, the whole setup made the man look like a creature out of hell. The thug tried to scale the wall, only to fall face first onto concrete. He turned around to see the man charge, with a hard hand; he was slammed into the wall again. The thug cried out in pain as he slid to the floor, only to have the ax slammed into his leg.

"That hurt? Good, now pay attention," the man said, his voice showing a mixture of anger and excitement, "I know that you're a big man here, local…that you are the one they come to when someone wants to set up a meeting of ill repute."

The thug nodded vigorously, making the masked man laugh.

"Good, nice to see that I got the right guy, now then…tell me where the White Fang are recruiting," The man asked, only to get a hard shake of the head, prompting him to slam the ax into the other mans good leg, "Sorry, don't take rejection well."

"I…I don't know what your talking about," The thug said, only for the masked man to step into the wound on his left leg, "Fuck man, I don't know."

"I don't buy that for a second you sick bastard, tell me…or this gets worse." The masked man said, only for the thug to smile.

"Maybe we negotiate…" The man said, only to have the ax shoved into his right arm.

"Maybe I won't show you the inside of your guts." The masked man yelled back, making the thug quiver in fear.

"Alright…They're meeting on fourth…warehouse." The man stuttered through the pain, the masked man got up off his knees. He then aligned his ax with the mans neck.

"What the fuck man? I told you everything!" The thug yelled.

"Yes, I believe you…but you have been responsible for the death of many, the robbing of many, and other crimes. Don't beg to me, I'm just an Axman." The masked man said as he let the ax fall, lopping off the mans head. The bloody deed was done, he had set out with two goals tonight, one was accomplished, the other was about to begin.

 **A few minutes later…**

The warehouse was…actually well lit, the people inside could clearly see, it was actually clean, and it was next to a beautiful ocean. The Axman just stared at it, his shock evident.

"For the first time in forever, I'm not going into a crap hole." He silently sang to himself as he climbed up the side of said building, the roof was littered with skylights which he promptly looked into. He could see he was in the right place; the White Fang had a flare for the dramatic when decorating, even when it was temporary. The hopeful recruits hung in the middle, listening to the speech by the captain. He was a wolf faunas, broad shouldered, wore black and gold robes. He was surrounded by normal White Fang soldiers, all of whom had a sword or a gun.

"Time to go to work." The Axman said as he opened the skylight, taking a dust crystal out of his pocked as he did, and throwing said crystal into building. It exploded in an electric shockwave, briefly knocking out the lights. The new folk were scared as the soldiers look around, worried about a Special Forces unit or something of equal caliber. The sound of a body landing attracted the gaze of everyone; the only thing visible was white glowing eyes. The eyes seemed to get up, right as the lights came back up.

The locals all shrunk back in fear, they knew who this person was…but the soldiers didn't.

"Who are you? No person could possibly be stupid enough to walk in here without backup." The leader said incredulously, his men all aiming their respective weapons. The Axman did a quick count, five and the commander, two with swords, three with guns, commander had a shotgun.

 **Insert "Let the Bodies hit the Floor" by The Drowning Pool**

"Not stupid, just with a little hint of badass and craziness." The man said as he readied his ax, the two men with the swords charging. The first ones swing was blocked by the ax, seemingly opening up him up to the second guy. The soldier swung, only for the man to duck around both blades, and pull out a bowie knife. He stuck the blade into the second soldiers' guts, ripping his stomach open. The man fell, the pain making him black out, leaving the last man.

"Look, I'm not here for you, get out of my way…I'll let you live, I want your commander." The Axman said, only for the soldier to charge again. The vigilante merely ducked under the blade again, this time cutting the soldiers throat. The remaining soldier started firing, only for the man to grab the body of the dead guy and use it as a shield. The body was almost turned to mush, but since the assault rife only has a clip of about thirty rounds…the clips emptied quickly.

The masked man threw the body into the men, making separate, and then was on them like a flash. The first man fell with the Axmans blade into his chest, and the other two where kicked into the air. The Axman threw a knife into one of them, before leaping and kicking the man into the ground with a hard enough impact to stun him. The vigilante landed with a hard thud, turning his head towards the commander. The man showed no fear as he fired his shotgun, forcing the Axman to dodge.

The vigilante dove to the ground, rolling again to dodge a second shot, before grabbing the stunned White Fang soldier on the ground. One elaborate flip and slight of hand later, and he had him a human shield and loaded handgun. The black robed man eyed the pair, and, with almost no hesitation, fired through the soldier hitting the vigilante square in the chest. He went down, hard. The black robed soldier quickly turned to the remaining crowd, knowing he had to choose his next words carefully.

"The White Fang calls upon you to sometimes make the ultimate sacrifice…" The man started to say before he was interrupted.

"You know, jackass, its pretty clear that your new in town, otherwise, you would have kept pumping" The voice said as a knife erupted from the back of the mans knee. He fell to the floor in agony as the vigilante walked around the fallen body, turning to the crowd, "This is all that awaits you, death and betrayal."

 **End Music…**

The crowd, too terrified to move until now, all ran out of the building. The Axman was a legend that had just turned real, their fear was justified. The vigilante turned to the wounded soldier, the man showing no regret with what he had just done, or fear of the man approaching him. The Axman pulled his ax from his belt, slowly walking towards the man in an attempt to build suspense. It was lost on the wounded man…

"I'm no afraid of you…" The man gasped out in pain, the wound on his leg sapping his breath away. The Axman merely shrugged as he stood next to the man; the vigilante raised his ax, and slammed it down into the mans good leg. The man screamed in agony, the sound was contradicted by the laugh that filled the air.

"Oh…that's a good sound, the sound of the guilty being punished. The sound of a murderer being given the pain that he has committed, brings a tear to my eye," The Axman said as he leaned down next to the man, "Blood, that's all you deal in, White Fang…and I'm merely here to collect your due."

Without ceremony, the vigilante slammed his ax into the other mans brain, killing him. The still twitching body laid there, silence overtaking the building. Suddenly the Axman pulled out a scroll.

"Reporting in, both targets dealt with." He said his voice calm.

"Dealt with how?" Came an annoyed female voice on the other end.

"My way…no collateral damage I assure you." The vigilante said, adding the last part quickly.

"Rick, you know that…" The voice on the other end began, only to be cut off by the man named Rick.

"Hey, don't worry about Emily, no innocents…just bad guys." Rick said, his attitude cocky.

"Whatever, hey…Ben picked up your mail while you were gone; got something you might want to hear about." The other voice on the line went on.

"I'm all ears; tell…did they finally make a way to makes the Dragonslayer blade a reality?" Rick asked, his joking nature contrasting sharply with the façade that he put up moments ago.

"No, although I truly fear the day when you can use that…It's a transfer script…you're going with us to Beacon." Emily said her voice full of a mixture of dread and happiness.

"Huh, should be fun…lot of people to kill in Vale, sounds good, when do we leave?" Rick asked, his voice barely containing his excitement.

"Tomorrow…" Emily said as she signed off.

 **OK, done with the Prelude…I think some clarification is in order. First, the team in the beginning belongs to my associate Zivon96, he has allowed me access to his characters for a while and I really wanted to use them. If you haven't read his story "RWBY: Beacon's Fading Light" or its sequel "RWBY: Light Extinguished", you should. It's a very well written story with a lot of action. (And the second one features four of my very own OC's from this story and my other one "Eight New Faces."**

 **In other news, in case you haven't figured it out yet…this story is going to be VERY mature, as in booze, sex (No lemon though, I don't write that), violence, and extremely dark themes. So if you don't like that, this is your eject button. If you're staying, please enjoy!**

 **Please…R &R, and remember…The Dark Side is Strong in this one. **


	2. Arrivel

The moon glowed in the night sky, illuminating the street below. It was covered with flashing lights of red and blue, the street was cut off from the rest of the world. Police all around the scene, faces illuminated by the lights, faces of grim men. A short distance away, a man approached, he wore a trench coat over a white dress shirt. A red tie on top of that and, with a steady hand, he lifted a cigarette to his mouth. His other hand came up with a lighter; with a sharp _chink_ the flame briefly illuminated his face. His features were hard, his face covered with a rough black beard that looked like he only shaved when he needed to look presentable, and judging from his face, he hadn't had to shave in a while. A fedora topped of the look perfectly, making him look like a detective from an old black and white move.

He approached the site with determination, a look of fear and awe crossed over the faces of the officers who manned the tape. It was a look of respect, a look of inspiration, but it was mainly of fear. He flashed his badge as he passed, the officers checking briefly before he crossed. His hard eyes scanned the street, taking note of every detail. His eyes settled on a cop car being loaded with three thugs, a younger man in detective gear looked over them before turning and noticing the man.

"Harry! How you been?" The younger man said his voice full of cheer.

"Fine, John, thanks for asking." The man named Harry said as he approached, his mind thinking: _Corrupt jackass._

"Didn't know you were coming, did the old man send you?" John asked, trying to maintain his cheer.

"Yeah, said that it involved hunter business," Harry said as he got a good look at the men in the van, one quick look was all he needed to tell that they wouldn't help him in his investigation, "Any names?"

"Uhh, no…but we were told to wait for a representative for Beacon to arrive." John stammered out.

"Good, do me a favor…check the names in the database." The older detective said, knowing what that implied. He was telling the man, in spirit, to fuck off. The younger man got the message.

"Sure, I'll be at the police station." The man said as he started off, leaving Harry alone. He took a hip flask and, after flicking away his smoke, took a short sip, it was cold out and he wanted some warmth, as he walked around the site. His eye stopped though, as he noticed a white sheet. A dead body, but who was it?

"Shit." Was all the man said as he approached it, lifting the sheet as he arrived. It was another goon, only this one had a huge slash in his chest, large blade, and quick. Harry pondered this as he got to his feet, only to hear footsteps behind him. He turned and saw a face that was as shocked as he was.

"Harry?" Came the blond woman, her mouth agape in surprise.

"Glynda! Still fine as ever," Harry said with a grin, "still using that crop? You know it makes peoples mind wander…"

"Harry," Glynda said with a chuckle, "you always had a way with words."

"Yeah, not enough, back to business, comments?" Harry said with a gesture toward the site.

"Hunter dealt with a problem, simple as that. You should know that, Harry." Glynda said with a hard look.

"Ok, that the official report, now be straight with me, what the hell happened? Or do I need to get you to a bar to get that?" Harry said with a morbid grin.

"No Harry, I don't visit bars anymore, especially with strange men," She said with a hard look before sighing, "but…It was a girl, she attended Signal, she was shopping when those men tried to take the dust. I arrived in time to save her from a name you know well, Torchwick."

"Course that bastard's involved, next its gonna be that damned witch Mary Blud…" Harry said with a spit on the ground.

"Yes, he wasn't alone. He had a woman with him, wore clothes mixed with dust, used fire attacks…any idea?" Goodwitch said, eyeing Harry hopefully.

"No clue, I'll check the archives…hey…you said she was from Signal?" Harry said with a sudden look of concern.

"Yes…" Glynda replied.

"So she's what? 15? 16?" Harry said with a look at the body.

"Yes, why?" Goodwitch said noticing Harry's concern.

"Nothing, keep an eye on her for me," Harry said with a dark look at the corpse, "Too young for this kind of shit, sure you don't want that drink?"

"No, I have to deal with the new recruits, as well as some transfers whose flight was pushed off," Glynda said as she walked away, before stopping and turning, "Also, thank you for the assistance you've been doing for us. Good night, Officer Holmes."

"Good night, and good luck," Harry said, noticing how she used his official title as he turned to the nearest officer, "Hey, call HQ and tell them that I'll send them my report tomorrow."

The officer nodded; allowing Harry to turn and walk away. He walked through the streets, passing by citizens as he continued further down. After a quick glance behind him, he walked into an alleyway. He approached the end, only to be cut off by two thugs dressed in street clothes. He turned to see two more coming from the other side, he grunted as he pulled another smoke. The thugs surrounded him, one pulled out a pistol.

"Tell me, thugs or White Fang" Harry asked, his eyes showing nothing.

"What?" The man with the pistol asked, surprised.

"Are you thugs or White Fang? If your thugs…then I might fell a little bad about what might happen, if you're Fang…I won't. I assume you're White Fang, trying to make this look like a mugging gone wrong," Harry said, making the leader flabbergasted, "Confused? Let me elaborate, first thing, you're all faunas, but that is just stereotyping and I don't like that. Second, you act more military, you were trailing me ever since I left crime scene. Third and this is the biggest indicator, you're not holding your guns like a fucking idiot."

The leader looked at his men with wide eyes, right before he looked at Harry hard. The leader didn't say a word, just tried to pull the trigger. Harry suddenly dodged, faster than what a cop should be able to, the bullet smacking one of the men behind him. The leader tired to fire again, but Harry suddenly pulled his own weapon, a revolver, and fired it point blank into said leaders head, splattering the wall with gore. The remaining two pulled cleavers as they charged, only for Harry to fan three shots into the one behind him.

The last one faltered, just long enough for Harry to shoot him in the kneecap. The man fell to the ground writhing in pain as Harry approached; he looked at the man with pity.

"Call your buddies, have them pick you up…get out of this life kid, trust me…it's not worth it." Harry said as he walked away, leaving the alley behind him.

 **The next day…**

Team EMAD walked down the cobblestone walk of Beacon chatting about the new students, new teams, and, hopefully, some new challenges.

"Maria, did you read the student list?" Thatch said cautiously as the group walked, hopeful that she hadn't.

"I have…" Maria replied, her voice tight and narrow.

"So…you know about…" He began to ask before she cut him off.

"Yes, I know she's coming." She replied back, making a rather well dressed teen named Francois get a confused look on his face.

"Uhm…what?" The swordsman asked, not knowing what to make of this. Thankfully, one of his teammates was willing to give him a hand.

"Pyrrha Nikos is coming." His shorter companion in green whispered.

"Wait, Allison, wasn't that the student who…" Francois began to whisper back before he caught an evil glare from his female leader in purple.

"EMAD, it was a year ago, I've come to accept that loss and have trained all the harder for it. I don't hold a grudge, she was a good opponent." Maria said back, her voice calm and steady.

"So…you think you're gonna fight her again?" Alison asked, her voice a little fearful.

"Eventually, if I'm allowed to challenge her." Maria said with a grin, ready for that day to come.

"Well, that sounds like an interesting day," Thatch said as he looked at his scroll, "Oh shite, hey I've gotta go. Got to meet a old friend."

His team looked at each other as their, arguably, strangest teammate ran off.

 **A random jump cut later…**

"Yang!" A random voice rang out, making the blonde brawler stop in her tracks. She had just ditched Ruby, (hoping that she would be forced to make some friends, good concept and probably would have worked if it wasn't for a certain Ice Princess) and was walking with her friends. The friends then parted like the red sea, revealing the huge teen in front of her. His greatcoat flapped in the wind, his black hair poked out of his tricorn hat, and his twin swords certainly looked intimidating.

"Thatch! Is that you?" Yang said with a laugh as she held out her hand, which the new teen took.

"I saw that you were coming, decided to welcome you myself. Been a while, hasn't it?" Thatch said, his accent ringing.

"Yeah, an entire year, tell me…where your team?" Yang asked, looking around.

"Their wandering, hoping to scope out some poor sod who will be a challenge." Thatch replied with a laugh, taking his hand back as his scroll rang.

"Excuse me." Thatch said as he looked at his scroll, wondering what was going on. It read 'Team EMAD, after orientation come to the headmasters' office.'

"Huh, strange," He muttered before turning to Yang, "hey, how's Ruby doing? Still dreaming about being a hunter?"

"Yeah, she is," Yang said with a laugh, "She's actually her, Ozpin decided to take her in."

"Really? Where is the girl?" Thatch asked, looking around.

"I told her to make some friends, hopefully she's meet someone by now," Yang asked, right as a bell rang, "There's the bell, gotta go!"

Thatch watched as the blond ran off, not realizing a set of green eyes watching him…

 **After orientation…**

Team EMAD stood around Ozpins desk, watching the man take a sip of his coffee that he always seemed to have. The team looked around awkwardly, not knowing what they were in for. They had started being vigilantes some time ago, and they knew for a fact that Ozpin knew. They hoped that this wasn't about that.

"Goodwitch should be here any second now." Ozpin said softly, making the team cringe. Goodwitch was in charge of discipline, and, in the slightly dirty mind of a lot of people, that riding crop might not just be used for a weapon. As if on cue, the woman entered with a scroll in hand and she looked pissed. The team looked at each other in fear, only for the woman to walk past them and stare down Ozpin.

"This is your doing, isn't it?" She asked, her voice barely containing the rage.

"Goodwitch, I don't have the slightest idea what you're talking about." He replied, nodding his head towards the teen in the room. Goodwitch sighed before she turned, making the teens bristle.

"Team EMAD, we have a group of transfers from Fate arriving tomorrow. You are to greet them and show them around, is that clear?" The woman said, making the teens confused. Showing a team around? Why would they be the ones who would do that? The team snapped to attention as Goodwitch pointed to the door, which the team almost ran out through.

"Ozpin…" Goodwitch started before the headmaster cut her off.

"You know about the transfers' history, they are the best team to deal with this. It will be much easier to deal with them when the new students are in the field, much easier to find them and less likely for…an incident to happen." Ozpin stated simply, making Goodwitch deflate.

"I still don't know why you accepted him, team EMBR I understand, but…Rick Grimm? You know his records." Goodwitch said as she sat down in a chair nearby.

"I do, I believe that he may be just what the city needs, and while he's a dangerous individual, his loyalty is unquestionable. We may need loyalty in the future." Ozpin said with a sip of coffee.

 **Later, in the commons building…**

Yang woke the sound of her scroll buzzing in her pocket; normally she wouldn't care but this one was from a…rather important individual.

"Yang! Didn't expect you to pick up, not out busting up some poor assholes bar are you?" came the gruff voice on the other end.

"No, just got into Beacon…what's new with you Harry?" Yang said with a yawn, rubbing sleep out of her eyes in the process.

"Nothing, just found some new data on your case…hey, I didn't mean to wake you, I can drop it off tomorrow." Harry said in an apologetic voice.

"No, its fine…wait…can you even get into Beacon?" Yang suddenly asked, making Harry chuckle.

"Yeah, I actually can. Meet you at the statue in the plaza." Harry said, his voice still in a chuckle.

"I'll meet you there." Yang replied back.

 **At the police station…**

Harry folded his scroll as he picked up the manila envelope; it was thick and bound with a rubber band. His chair squealed as he got up, stretching as he went, and walked out of his office. His coat swayed back and forth as he walked down the hallways, his shoes making a resounding clack as he continued. As he walked by a door labeled lockers, he noticed another man. Anyone here this late would be suspicious, except for three individuals. Harry, the police chief, and this guy.

"Hawk, how's it going?" Harry said as he leaned against the door frame, a man wearing police Special Forces police gear put up his rifle before he turned, his hawk eyes sizing up who just spoke.

"Oh, Harry…nothing much, just got back from a situation downtown. White Fang, as usual." The man said as he walked towards Harry, who got out of his way.

"Of course, seems they keep getting bolder everyday," Harry said as he walked with the sniper; this was one of the good cops, one who wasn't dirty like most of the force, "Hey, I'm going to Beacon, dropping something off, wanna come?"

"No," Hawk said simply, "is it that mystery woman? Still working for Yang? You know, I do hope that you're not doing something you'll regret."

"I'm not in a relationship with her, if that's what your asking," Harry said as the pair made their way to the door, "This woman though, I just got a feeling. She shows up, saves my ass, tells me to fuck off the case, I do, that bastard ends up dead, though he deserved it, and I never see her again. Then a blonde brawler, who I track down after she destroys a bar, shows me a picture of a similar looking woman after I pry into why she was there. I tell you, this is bigger than just a person, this woman…she's…something."

"Dust, you know I was kidding right?" Hawk asked back, the pair now outside.

"I know, you're the only one who actually gives a damn though." Harry said as they neared the street.

"Good point, hey…if you find the chick, tell me, OK? That way, if you end up dead, I have a starting point." Hawk said with a grin before peeling off.

"I'll do that!" Harry yelled without missing a beat, walking away towards Beacon.

 **At Beacon…**

Yang waited around, she knew it took a while to get to Beacon, but now she was worried. Harry was a…interesting man. He was assigned to figure what happened to a bar about…five years ago, he was the only one who actually seemed to care why, rather than the damages. After he heard her story, he let her go…and vowed to help her find this woman.

"Comptemplating life?" Came a voice from behind her, Yang turned with a smile.

"Took you long enough." She said to Harry, who was sitting at a bench.

"Yeah, anyway here you go," The man said as he handed her the bound envelopes; Yang took them but suddenly a rose petal fell from her hand. Harry noticed this, and picked it up, "hey, what's this? A boy I should know about?"

"No," Yang said with a laugh, regarding him with the affection of a girl and a father, "It's Ruby, her semblance leave rose petals behind."

"Ruby? Your adoptive sister?" Harry asked, his face suddenly serious.

"Yeah…wait how did you…" Yang began to ask before Harry cut her off.

"You think I'm gonna agree to help a random girl without a background check? Anyway, why is her petal here? She hug you before you left?" Harry asked, his voice hopeful.

"No…she's here, at Beacon. Ozpin signed her on, why?" Yang asked.

"Its just theory, if she starts acting funny, you and she can always talk to me." Harry said, making Yang regard him creepily.

"OK, why?" She asked, making Harry cringe.

"I'm not sure…probably nothing; just…keep an eye on her, OK?" Harry said, before walking off.

"Uhm, OK." Yang said as he walked away, turning herself to return to the commons. Harry pondered as he walked; he had almost no doubt in his mind for what he thought.

"What the hell are you playing at Ozpin?" The detective said as he pulled and light a cigarette, "That little girl is to young for this, and way too young to take a life."


	3. Justice

Team EMAD hung around the dock in complete boredom, the transfers were due to arrive any minute but they hadn't seen even an airship in the last hour. Thatch and Francois were sitting playing cards, Allison was standing back with Maria staring at the two play, and Maria was just standing and sharpening her sword with a whetstone. The day was hot, and all were pretty annoyed that they were missing the new bloods initiation. Part of being an upper classman was watching the younger members live through your pain, but EMAD had to swallow their pride and be tour guides. Allison was deep in though when she though she heard something.

"What?" The green clad teen said as she turned to her leader.

"I said, what are you waiting for?" Maria said with a smile, he eyes showing slight amusement.

"I…I don't know what your talking about." Allison said, trying to deflect attention.

"I don't mean to insult you, but you're staring at our pirate. It's kinda noticeable." Maria said, she knew about her partners crush for a while now. At first, Allison had a crush on Francois but when he and another student started dating…she kinda fell flat. After a while, and a lot of gestures of kindness, she had started falling for Thatch. He did show some interest and she wanted to maybe start a relationship, but she had no idea how to go about it. Maria found this situation pretty funny, looking at it from the outside, it was pretty clear that the two had a thing for each other. The only ones who didn't seem to notice were the pair themselves.

"I'm not staring." Allison said quickly, her cheeks getting dark.

"Uh-huh, Allison, just go talk to him." Maria said, still smiling that smile. Allison stuttered before taking a deep breath, she had wanted to talk to him about that blonde girl but she didn't want him to know about her little spying trip. However, it seemed that Maria wasn't going to let down, so…she stared walking towards the pirate.

Meanwhile, Francois and Thatch were having a similar conversation.

"So, you gonna ask her?" Francois said as he eyed his cards.

"Ask who what?" Thatch said his voice defensive.

"Our resident shy girl, are you going to ask her out?" The Frenchman said as he and Thatch eyed the drawn cards.

"And pray tell why would I do that?" Thatch said, his voice a little hostile.

"Well, you keep giving her passing glances, shows of kindness, and the fact that you keep getting hostile whenever I mention a guy staring at her ass." The Frenchman replied, making Thatches redden a bit.

"Any man would do that if one of his friends was getting wrong looks." Thatch said even more defensively.

"Thatch, _Mon Ami,_ you know that if you don't act soon, you might loose her." Francois said seriously.

"And I hope that she finds a good guy." Thatch said threatingly, making it known that if his teammate continued, he might hurt him.

"How about this, if I have a winning hand, you ask her out." Francois said with a hard stare.

"If I win?" Thatch asked, his voice curious.

"I have to Velvet how many of my servant girls I've hit on." Francois said, Thatch grinned at that.

"Alright, Royal Flush." Thatch said as he slammed down his cards.

"Oh my," Francois said with a fake pout, "If only I didn't get the same thing."

Thatches mouth dried up.

"Too bad for you, I'm the dealer. I win, and look, here she comes," Francois said with a gesture at the approaching female, "Go get her, tiger."

Thatch got up with a mean glare at the noble, his eye furious. The two walked over to each other.

"Uh…hey, Allison." Thatch said awkwardly.

"Hey, Thatch." The usually silent teen replied back.

"Uh, I've been meaning to ask you…" Thatches question was cut off by the sound of an airship approaching. Both of the teens thanked dust for that, while the others both mentally cursed at the timing. The ship landed with a hard _thunk_ , and the doors opened. What came out was…unexpected to say the least. The first out was a female, tall, athletic, and with strange eyes. That went unnoticed as most of the attention was on her giant battleaxe that was strapped to her back. She wore mango colored clothes, and looked quite intimidating.

The second to follow was a teen who was slightly shorter, wearing a black suit most suited for a ninja, and had a sword strapped to his knee. His face was exposed to reveal his dirty blond hair and pale blue eyes. What followed next was unexpected. The sound of spinning wheels filled the air, as a teenage girl in a wheelchair came out of the shuttle. She noticed the strange looks that she was given.

"Before you ask, no…I don't fight," The girl said with a sigh, her dark red hair and green eyes moving around, her leather jacket made a small sound as she moved her neck, "I give intel from the sides."

"Hey!" came a voice from inside the shuttle, "You gonna help us or what?"

A stockier teen came out from the shuttle carrying about four suitcases, this teen wore pretty standard attire but the attention was primarily focused on his face. It bore a glorious handlebar mustache, one that could make any man desiring facial hair jealous.

"Guys, take your stuff off of me!" The teen yelled as he set down the suitcases, making the girl in the wheelchair giggle.

"Calm down, Richard, we're grabbing our stuff," She said with a look at the rest of the team, before turning to Maria, who had stepped forward, "Are you team EMAD?"

"Yes, welcome to Beacon." Maria said as she offered the wheelchair bound leader a hand.

"A pleasure," Emily said as she took Maria's hand, "I must ask, when I was told that our escort was a group of hunter trainees, I was a little surprised."

"As were we, usually a team has to volunteer." Maria said, noticing the sudden bur of Emily's' eyebrow.

"Oh, you weren't told anything about us?" Emily asked, a little concerned.

"No, was there something we should know?" Maria said with a hard glare, Emily suddenly smiled.

"No, nothing that you would care about." She said, Maria would have kept at it, but a new voice joined the fray.

"Could you assholes help me? I'm dragging about 200 pounds of metal, dust, and clothes! I ain't got nobody helping?" The new voice said. A new teen approached, carrying a bright orange duffle bag, and dragging a blue suitcase. He wore a blood red t-shirt and jeans, as well as a set of combat boots.

"Oh, these the guys they sent to meet us?" The new teen said with a grin, "Names Rick, Rick Grimmes."

The teen offered the closest person a hand, who happened to be Thatch. The pirate took it with a firm grip, and a hard shake. That was when Maria spoke.

"We were told about two teams, what's…" She began, only to see Emily doing the cut off sign with her hand, "Never mind."

Francois gave her a strange look, before helping Richard with one of his bags. The mustached teen grunted his thanks as he handed the teen the bag, but before they could start moving. A peculiar thing fell from the top of the bag, a book named Ninja's of Love. Francois chuckled at that.

"Hey, you got a problem?" Richard said, giving the Frenchman a look.

"It's just that I never expected a man to carry this." Francois said with a joking manner, but Richard didn't pick up on that.

"You know, at least I'm not wearing a blue dress and a stupid hat." Richard said with a grin. Francois eyes narrowed, his hands slowly reached for his rifle.

"At least I don't have a ridiculous mustache." Francois said, making Richards eyes bulge. He reached into his bag, ready to pull his weapon. Words had been exchanged; it was time to settle this with fist. The pair eyes narrowed, and suddenly Thatch felt an arm on soldier.

"My moneys on Richard, you?" Rick said with a grin, eyeing the pair closely.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Thatch said as he looked at the teen, who was smiling like a maniac.

"Richard!" Emily yelled.

"Francois!" Maria yelled, the two leaders tired of this exchange. The pair stared at their leader, and slowly withdrew their hands away from what they where reaching for. The pair eyed each other before breaking out into laughter just now realizing what they were about to fight over.

"Damn it," Rick cursed under his breath, before Thatch shoved him off, "Yeah, deserved that."

The teen jumped to his feet with a lack of grace as he turned to Maria.

"Lead the way." He said with a grin.

 **Later that night…**

Rick stretched himself onto his bed, the team who lead them around was nice, sure, but it was still exhausting. The teen got up off his bed with a grunt as he scanned the room around him.

"Hm, Perfect." He whispered as he opened his pack and pulled out an odd assortment of items. A black set of combat armor, a few knives, a revolver with chambers way to big to be for normal bullets, a mask, and finally an ax. Rick grinned as he stared out his window, "Time to introduce myself."

 **At a White Fang meeting…**

"Maria, how's it looking?" Thatch's voice said over an earpiece in the centurion's ear.

"No sign of Blud, that's fine though. Just a quick and clean operation sounds great, especially with those transfers." Maria replied back, her voice giving a small showing of happiness. Most of the transfers were fine, even Richard proved that he wasn't a complete asshole, but Rick was a different story. That…psychopath kept all of her team on their toes, asking various questions ranging from where the food court was to if they had ever seen what a Grimms intestines look like.

"Yeah, so…normal operation?" Francois said over the intercom.

"Yes, ready, Allison?" Maria asked.

"Yes give the word." Came the small voice from the other side of the room.

"OK, Three…Two," Maria didn't finish as the lights inside flickered and went out, "Maria!"

"It wasn't me!" The voice yelled on the other end, but Maria wasn't listening. She was watching the inside of the building, and she was in a mixture of shock, awe, and horror.

Insert _The Axman_ by The Omen

"Maria…do you see?" Thatch asked, only to be cut off.

"That's not possible…he's a myth." Francois said, his eyes able to see in.

"What is…oh." Allison said as she leapt to the vantage point where Maria was, the four pairs of eyes all saw something, something they never though possible. In the building, on a stage that was set up, there was a man. He had a red flare illuminating him, his face was obscured by the mask, but everyone recognized it, primarily because of what was in his right hand. An ax, the tool of the Axman.

Insert the phrase "THE AXMAN"

The lights came up, the crowd fell back. He then decided to speak.

"I'm not here for you," He said, a voice modifier doing its job, "I am merely here for their heads."

After he said this, he pointed at the commanders. The soldiers didn't appreciate that, and decided to open fire. The vigilante surged forward, slamming his ax into the nearest soldier's guts. This display of violence shocked team EMAD out of their stupor.

"Move!" Maria yelled as she leapt across, busting through a window along side of Thatch. Allison and Francois followed suit, they landed with a hard thud. The sound attracted attention as some soldier turned and opened fired their rifles at the team, Allison quickly dispatched with a well placed lighting blast. Said blast attracted the attention of the Axman, who turned and regarded the new people.

"Great." He muttered as he turned to see the White Fang leader getting away, he ran in pursuit. EMAD dealt with the remaining soldier quickly, only to see the tail end of the Axman as he pursued the commander.

"Damn it!" Maria yelled, taking off with the rest of her team in tow. They followed the pair down a hallway; their steps weren't soft so The Axman heard them. He sighed as he ran past a new hallway, this one with a door that was raised with a chain. The man had a huge grin under his mask as he cut said chain, causing the door to slam shut. What he didn't expect was to hear the sound of Dust, and a rather loud smashing sound. He turned to see that the team, without missing a beat, had frozen and smashed a giant hole into said door.

 _Great teamwork_ the man though as he charged forwards, only to see two guards jump out in front and ready themselves. The Axman laughed as he suddenly slid across the floor, and disembowel the pair with his axe and knife that he pulled from his jacket. Team EMAD almost slipped on the blood, but managed to avoid it, making the vigilante a little frustrated.

"Got to be kidding me." He muttered as he neared the leader, the man had just run through a door. The Axman rushed in, and before EMAD could react, slammed the door and sealed it with an ice crystal.

"That should hold them," The vigilante said with a laugh as he turned to regard the White Fang commander, who pulled a pistol and started firing. The crazed vigilante dodged said bullets, and slammed the guy into a wall. The man dropped his pistol as the Axman stabbed him in the chest, avoiding the heart, "Gonna enjoy killing you sick bastard."

The man tried to stand only to be shoved to the floor, he looked into the blank white eyes that the mask gave the vigilante. The Axman readied himself when he heard a cracking sound; he turned to see that the ice wall he had constructed was cracking. He growled as he suddenly picked up the commander, and put a knife to his throat. Team EMAD busted in, each aiming their respective weapons at the vigilante.

 **End Music…**

"Let him go." Maria said with a hard glare, the glare of someone who was upset about an operation that had been foiled.

"Why? So you can turn him in?" The Axman said with a low growl, making Francois back up a bit.

"Yes," Maria answered, "How did you know that?"

"Studied up on the city before I came, saw a local group of vigilantes saving people, but letting the White Fang live. I personally don't share your sympathies." The Axman said his tone dark.

"So what? Just kill them?" Francois cut in, trying to sight in his rifle.

"Don't even try, wearing armor. Yes, killing them is much easier," The Axman said, noticing the furrowed brows of the team, "You know, I honestly think that we could gain much insight if we talked, but I don't imagine that's why you're here."

"Right, how did you know about this meeting?" Thatch asked, his voice and face showing the entire reason why they hadn't made a move, they wanted to know how and why he was here.

"Check fourth and Fifth Street; find some answers there, now if you excuse me, I've got justice to carry out." The Axman said as he suddenly cut the commanders throat, Team EMAD charged, only for the vigilante to pull a crystal out and slam it into the ground. The crystal shattered and covered the entire area with smoke, Team EMAD started coughing. The smoke cleared as suddenly as it appeared, with the Axman nowhere in sight.

"Damn it!" Maria yelled as she ran to a nearby window, not seeing anything.

"Smart man, knew that we couldn't hit him without him killing the hostage." Allison said her voice a mixture of fear, anger, and respect.

"Cold blooded," Francois said with a spit to the side, "Just like all of his kind, crazy bastards."

"Can't deny his effectiveness," Thatch said with a point towards the fleeing crowd, "Scared them off."

"EMAD," Maria said, cutting them off, "We are going to Fourth and Fifth Street."

 **A scene transition later…**

The team entered the site, it was an abandoned building. Poorly lit, but enough to see. The team moved quietly, hoping that if someone was here, they would find them with the element of surprise. That was the plan, but the came across a room with a light on inside, Maria did a hand signal to stop. They all wrapped around the doorway, Francois and Allison on the left, Thatch and Maria on the right. Maria did a silent countdown with her fist, before running in. What they saw…was something they wished the could unsee.

It was a body, a dead one, but one that had been brutally tortured. Its hands had been broke, its legs cut, one of its eye gouged out, and a bullet hole in its head. Allison turned away; Francois lost his dinner, Thatch's eyes widened, and Maria's face turned into a grimace.

"Call Harry," Maria said, "Now."

 **Meanwhile, at Beacon…**

Weiss Schnee was currently looking at her scroll, looking up names. Her face fell with each face she crossed, until she had an idea. She looked up the name Jaune Arc, and smiled.

"Perfect."


	4. The Arena

Rick stretched his muscles as he got to his feet, yawning all the way. Being a vigilante was always tough, and you could get very understandable cramps. The psychopath got out of bed and went about his business, showering, getting dressed, brushing teeth, making sure any cuts and bruises were hidden from view. After all that, he sat on his bed and took out his scroll, it read 6 AM. He had gotten up early for some research, the new students. He watched the footage that everyone else could, which included teams RWBY and JNPR fights with their respective Grimm.

"Impressive," Rick said, observing Ruby's and Jaunes plans against the Grimm, "Good plan, that Jaune kid though…"

Rick put a thoughtful hand on his now scruffy chin, unlike most teens; Rick only shaved if he had to. The teen then remembered something; he quickly looked at the Beacon history files to find EMAD's initiation files. He watched as, for some reason, the teams were sent through some huge caverns filled with Grimm.

"Huh, nice…" Rick muttered again as he watched the teams battle with subterranean Grimm, he yawned as he got to his feet. The psycho walked out of his room, only to be run into by a white blur.

"Watch where you're going!" Came a rather annoyed voice, Rick looked at the source of said voice. It was a teenage girl with white hair, he recognized her as Weiss Schnee.

"Oh, excuse me princess, slow down. What's the rush?" Rick said as he got to his feet.

"I have to get to class!" Weiss yelled as she got up and started running.

"Class? It's only…oh fuck!" Rick yelled as he looked at his scroll, revealing the time of 8:56. The teen started running, only to realize he was being followed. He turned to see a nicely busted blond, a red hood wearing red head, a black haired girl, a blond boy, a redhead with green eyes, another boy with black hair and a pink strand of hair, and a rather energetic orange hair. He recognized them as team RWBY and JNPR.

"Oh hi!" Rick yelled as Ruby caught up with him, "Names Rick! Yours?"

"Ruby!" The reaper yelled back.

"Where you off to?" Rick asked back.

"Grimm Studies!" The red head behind him yelled, Rick recognized her as Pyrrha Nikos.

"Funny, that's where I'm heading!" Rick yelled back, the group ceased communication as they had reached the door to said class room. They entered at the last minute, earning a few stares.

"Hey Rick!" Came a familiar from the top of the class. Rick looked to see his good friend Ben waving at him, next to the rest of team EMBR, who sat alongside team EMAD. The Psycho ran up to the ninja, grabbing his hand in a bro shake.

"Running a little late I see." Richard said with a laugh, making the rest of EMBR crack a smile.

"Of course he is," Micca replied, "Fool can't seem to get anywhere on time."

"You wound me," Rick said with mock hurt, "I can't go on living, I must commit soduko."

"It's Seppuku, you Dumbass." Emily whispered back, class was actually starting at this point.

"I know," Rick whispered back before turning to EMAD, "if I may inquire any idea on why we're here? This looks like a first year class."

"You have to take all the years you're here," Maria explained in a harsh whisper, "It's a hands on class, on top of that, they keep discovering new ways of hunting Grimm and they are _supposed_ to be taught to us by Port."

"Not a good teacher?" Ben asked back.

"It's not that, he just launches into stories about his younger days. When he takes us out, it's a fun class, but most of the time it's just an excuse to catch some shut eye." Thatch said with a yawn.

"Speaking of which, here one now. Ready for some sleep, my friend?" Francois said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Agreed." Thatch said with a chuckle as he did the same thing. The rest of the teams actually watched as the professor continued on his rant, at least until Maria's scroll light up. She quickly snatched it, finding a message from Harry: "Got some details on that corpse, come find me later. I'll be at a bar named the Last Stop, don't worry, I know the owner. He doesn't object; meet me after you're done with classes."

 **At the Last Stop…**

"You don't object…do you Aedan?" Harry asked as he nursed a double shot of whiskey.

"As long as they don't try and start drinking, fine with me." Came a rather Irish accented voice from the man behind the bar. He was big, his hair was short and his trimmed beard was quire red.

"One of them will probably ask," Harry said, before suddenly thinking, "Wait, you don't happen to have any fine wines, right?"

"I don't know if I should laugh, punch you, or charge you extra for that whiskey. I do, though, and it's expensive. Whoever you're thinking of probably couldn't afford it." Aedan said with a sideways glare at the detective.

"Actually, he probably could." Harry said with a grin, taking another sip of his drink.

 **Back at Beacon…**

The class had just ended, teams EMBR and Rick noticed that Weiss had stormed out.

"That's gonna suck later…" Rick muttered as he and his friends walked out, "Really hope that doesn't become a usual occurrence."

"Rick, you should go talk to her." Ben said suddenly, making Rick jump.

"What?! Why me?!" Rick yelled, attracting the attention of EMAD as they walked out of the building.

"Well, you are kind of the only one who we know who can _do_ that kind of conversation." Micca said, Emily picking up on the small waver of her voice.

"Hey, it's problem with teammates, not gonna get involved." Rick said as he practily stormed away.

"He's got a point you know," Francois said as he walked past the teams, "It's never a good idea to mess with other teams personal problems unless you have to."

"Yeah, but do you think that Weiss Schnee is going to talk about it to Ruby? That little girl beat her out of a leadership role; she's probably not going to forget that." Richard said with a frown.

"True, we'll see were it goes," Maria said back, waving at her team to stay as the other filed away, "hey, I've got a message from Harry."

"Really, this quickly? What's he got?" Thatch asked back.

"He didn't say, asked us to see him after school." Maria replied back.

"Uh, where?" Allison asked, her face showing interest.

"A bar called The Last Stop, think it's a new place." Maria said as she started off for their next class, combat training. Another class for all the years of students, and one she was looking forward too. The team walked in, the arena was nice and clean, and the rest of the teams who where in their previous class where there as well. Well, all except Weiss from RWBY. Maria actually had a smile on her face; finally she had her chance, her chance to prove that she was better than before.

"Would Edward Thatch and Micca Sol come to the stage?" Goodwitches voice boomed across the arena. Thatch groaned as he got to his feet, he woke up from his nap just a few minutes ago and was understandably sore from it. The pair walked into the arena, Micca with her huge ax and Thatch with his duel cutlasses. As they took to the edge of the stage, Thatch looked over his opponent.

The pirate had been in his fair share of scraps and he knew never to judge a book by its cover, sometime the biggest of men got his way by being faster than they looked. The bell rang, and Thatch found out he was right to assume that his opponent would be faster. Micca came at him so quick that he barely had time to dodge, the girl followed with another swing that Thatch had to deflect.

The pirate could feel the power behind those swings, so he knew that if he wanted to win, he couldn't risk more than maybe two hits from her. The pirate leaped back, creating some distance, he knew that she probably had some sort of long range attack but he needed some room to be able to rush in. As he though, Micca did have a long range attack, her weapon shifted into a sniper rifle. What Thatch didn't expect was for the girl to suddenly charge, firing all the way.

The Pirate dodged the bullets, only for Micca to get in close and switch back. Thatch grit his teeth as he took a hit, as he imagined, Micca hit like a truck. In his mind, he realized that in a tournament setting, she had all the advantages. If this was a real fight where he could get away with being dirty, he would have this in the bag, but…there are "Ways" to allowyourself to gain an advantage in this setting. Thatch grinned as he shot his foot out at her shin, an underhanded tactic that was usually frowned upon by the tournament folk, but it's was quick enough most people didn't notice.

Those people, ironically not containing Goodwitch, were Pyrrha Nikos, Maria Gaia, Allison Tzu, and Rick Grimmes. Maria's and Allison's eyes rolled…but the Asian huntress eyes caught something. Ricks hand gripped the seat tightly, as if he was holding back something. What happened in the arena next was, to the people who saw the trick, was unexpected. Micca, rather than look down and open her self up for attack, swung with all her might at Thatch, who barely managed to dodge it. He got a good hit on his shoulder for the trouble.

Thatch once again leaped across the arena, his mind racing. You only got those kinds of moves if you had fought on the streets; he was confused until she smiled. That was when he saw the fangs and he knew exactly what was going on. Allison, whose accuracy semblance allowed her to spot details at long distance, eyes widened.

"Allison?" Rick asked, noticing the eyes.

"It's…it's nothing." She responded back, making Rick all the more curious.

"Allison, you should never play poker, you can't hide your emotions worth jack. What's up?" Rick replied back, making Allison a little nervous.

"Uhm… is Micca a…?" Allison started.

"Faunas? Yep, she is. Didn't I mention that? Awkward…" Ben said as he leaned over. Their eyes were then directed back to the arena, Thatch and Micca still had their stare down going. Then Micca saw Thatch's eyes turn red, before he could do anything though, she said something.

"I forfeit." Micca said as loud as she could, making everyone jump.

"Wait, what?" Thatch said, his eyes turning back to normal.

"I forfeit, it's not that hard of a concept." Micca said with a look at him.

"I…guess that's all for this match then, Thatch wins." Goodwitch said as the upward screen showed Thatches face. She was as confused as everyone else was; Thatch was even more confused as he walked to his team. He sat down behind them as the next fight was called.

"Yang Xiao Long and Cardin Winchester, come to the arena." Goodwitch yelled, prompting the two to get into fighting mode. As you would imagine, this fight was easy for Yang, but that's not important.

"Why?" Thatch whispered as Micca sat down.

"I saw your eyes, I assume that you were about to use your semblance?" Micca asked, to which Thatch nodded, "I won't use my semblance in a tournament fight, so when I saw you about to use yours, I had to decide whether to break my own rules, or to win."

"That's a pretty cocky answer." Maria replied as she leaned in.

"No, it isn't, allow me to demonstrate. Maria, kiss Allison," Micca responded as she leaned back. Normally Maria would slap anyone for making such a statement, but suddenly she realized that her partner…was actually quit attractive. Allison looked nervous as Maria grabbed her shoulder and started leaning in, "Stop."

Maria suddenly felt free from that urge, and promptly fell out of her seat as she jumped away.

"What the hell?" Maria asked as she got to her feet, giving Micca a cold stare.

"That's _my_ semblance; I can express a limited amount of control over someone. I can make them do certain things, like surrender if they aren't so wrapped up in what their doing, or forfeit a match." Micca said with a look at Thatch.

"For lack of a better word, it was face whatever the hell your partner's semblance is or her to give herself the victory." Emily said, looking as Cardin got pummeled.

"That's…actually quite honorable of you." Allison said as she leaned back, resting her back on the next set of bleachers.

"Besides, me and _Mango Cutter_ can usually handle whatever comes out way." Micca said with a grin as Cardin was defeated with Yang's usual flourish.

"The winner is Yang; will Ben Keno and Allison Tzu come to the arena?" Goodwitch called out. Rick had a though as the two walked to the stage.

"Are we not going to address what just happened?" He asked as the pair walked away, "Really? We're just gonna ignore that almost kiss? OK, whatever…"

The two walked to their sides of the arena, Allison used her semblance to pick out Ben's face. All she could see was his giant grin, one that took her a little off guard.

"Hey! What do you call that?" Ben suddenly yelled, making Allison jump, "Your weapon! What's it called?"

"Uh…Pianja…Uhm yours?" Allison asked nervously, not expecting this kind of openness from someone she had just met.

"Mine? It's called the _Ivy Pirate,_ " Ben said with a grin, "It's my pride and joy!"

Goodwitch cleared her throat, signifying that it was time to begin and the buzzer went off. Allison attacked first in an attempt to figure Bens style, she charged across the fight and swung at the ninja's chest. Ben dodged said attack, knowing its purpose, and, as soon as he landed, pressed his attack. His blade clashed with hers, creating sparks as he struck her against. Allison was actually surprised, he didn't hit nearly as hard as she though he would…

That was when she noticed that his weapons cross guard had a barrel, her eyes widened as she dodged with a flip. At first her mind raced, she had scanned him with her semblance, how had he hidden that from her? She dodged a few more bullets as he stopped firing, giving her time to rest.

"If your wondering how I deceived you, allow me to retort since that cats out of the bag," Ben yelled as the pair circled each other, "You didn't notice, but I kept the guard out of sight."

Allison's eyes widened as she thought back, she had noticed that he walked a bit funny, but she never though twice about it. Ben smiled as he readied himself, that was when he noticed Allison's smile. Two could play at the game of deception; she swung her weapon and sent a blast of lightning straight for his face. The surprised ninja barely had time to dodge, his arm getting the worst of it.

"Nice," Ben yelled back as he looked at his aura, "didn't use to much, did you? Want to see if I have anymore tricks? Well, I've got one more."

Allison readied herself for what she though was going to be a charge, what Ben did next was unexpected to say the least. His weapon suddenly separated into chained chunks that he swung at her with all his might, almost taking away her ranged advantage. Almost being a key word, for she responded with sticking out her pole and catching the chain around it. She pulled him in for a quick kick to the jaw, leaving him open for a follow up kick that sent him into the red. The ninja landed with a quick thud, he opened his eyes to see that Allison offered him a helping hand up, which he took.

"Nice, not many people counter Ben's whip." Rick said to Thatch who had a smile on his face.

"Yeah, not many people are like Allison." He replied back, making Rick crack a smile.

"Is that love I hear? Thatch, you came across as a man who doesn't settle down easily, I'm proud of you." Rick said back, making Thatch's cheeks go red.

"That's not what meant," Thatch said before realizing the second part of Ricks statement, "Hey, wait a minute…"

Thatch's anger was interrupted by Allison running beside him and taking a seat.

"Good fight," Thatch said with a glare at Rick, "nice…counter."

Allison looked at Rick with a strange look, wondering about what the two had been talking about. Her thoughts were interrupted by the next fighters.

"Richard Necro and Francois Delatrois, come to the stage." Goodwitch yelled, prompting the two to walk into the arena. Francois looked over his opponent; he saw the two scimitars at his hips.

"Nice blades, if not a little common." Francois said with a grin, only stopping when he realized that Richard had an even bigger grin.

"Blades yes, but…you've never fought some like these, I assure you," Richard said as he took the two blades and, with expert flourish, put them together at the hilt. That drew multiple gasps; a Twinblade was a very rare weapon style to use. It was almost impossible to master, making Richard one very scary son of a bitch, "Me and _Arm-Strong_ here are ready to kick some ass."

The bell rang as Richard charged in, making Francois block with his rifles butt. The monk quickly countered with a slash at Francois's gut, taking off some of his aura. The Frenchman growled as he tried to pop a few shots, but Richard dodged them all. The Frenchman's rifle switched to its rapier form, the rifle obviously wasn't going to work, and went to work. He slashed as Richard, who blocked at supplied a kick to the rifleman's head.

Francois muttered some choice French cuss words that made Richard chuckled right before he charged in again, the monk received a strike on his chest for his foolishness. The monks face never changed as the pair started fighting again with such speed that even Pyrrha couldn't track them. Maria was actually having a lot of fun as she watched said fight, she had always wanted to see a twinblade fighter and she was getting to see a proficient one now.

Francois locked him again, and this time, it seemed like stalemate. Richard was firmly in the green, while Francois was in the yellow, one good smack would end him.

"You know, don't feel bad," Richard said as he suddenly switched his footing, tripping up Francois, "not many people have even seen a twinblade, much less know how to fight it."

He struck the Frenchman on his back and ended the match. Allison heard a small gasp; she turned to see Velvet with a look of shock on her face. Francois, meanwhile, had taken the hand that the monk offered. The only thing seriously wounded was his pride, but he still didn't show it. He showed the respect that his opponent deserved.

"The next fight will be between Maria Gaia," Maria's heart fluttered, was it time? Was she finally going to be able to do it? Prove she was better than the great Pyrrha Nikos? "And Rick Grimmes."

Maria face fell a bit, she could almost taste the victory, but she hid her disappointment as she entered the arena followed by Rick. She assumed her place at her end of the arena, her mind racing as she thought of what she knew. Rick Grimmes, at first glance he looked like an idiot, but he didn't get to be at Beacon without having a few fights under his belt. She observed as he drew his weapon, a Bowie knife, a knife primarily made for hacking. It was also throw able, giving him a versatile weapon as well. The stance he made, the knife down across his palm, suggested a more formal approach to knife fighting.

These thoughts were interrupted as the bell went off; Rick charged in almost quicker that Maria could react. The woman raised her shield, a huge hunk of purple metal, and felt Rick's knife connect. The force was impressive, especially since it was just a knife, but she had to react quickly to block his second strike. He kept striking, each time she blocked with her shield. She analyzed his style with a smile, he was trying to find an opening, but all he did was give her more data.

He struck again, only this time, Maria slide her shield upwards and opened Rick up for attack. She hit him three times, once in the gut, once in the chest, and once in the face. The last hit stunned Rick and allowed her to smack him with her shield again, sending him across the arena. He landed with a hard thud, his eyes widening. He grinned to himself though; he knew what he had to do know. He had to take that shield out of the equation, that was when the base of said shield opened up to reveal…a minigun.

Ricks eyes widened as he looked at it, to him…that sexy piece of hardware was just his kind of gun. Allison heard Micca take in breath, she turned to see Micca with a little bit of jealousy in her eyes.

"Shit!" Rick yelled as the barrels started turning, spewing hot lead at a few thousand rounds per minute. The Psychopath dodged by running around the arena, Maria had to admit, he was fast, but soon he had an opening. He saw the distance and he took it, leaping upward and falling towards Maria at high velocity. She could tell that she could rev up her gun in time, so she switched to shield mode again and blocked the hit. What Rick did next, was unexpected.

Rick hung onto the shield, moving his hands to just the right spot, and slammed his hand into Maria's shield hand. The unexpected blow was enough for Rick to slide the shield off and slam it into her face, sending her flying. She looked flabbergasted as Rich threw the shield to the other side of the arena.

"Sorry, the shield was getting annoying. Now, shall we?" Rick said as he readied his blade, Maria grunted as she readied hers. The pair rocketed towards each other, locking knives and gritting their teeth. Rick quickly did a punch to the jaw that opened Maria up to a combo of slashed to her chest, that surprised her; she had analyzed his style and didn't expect that blow. She had a little epiphany, Rick was switching up his style, and unluckily for him…she had just analyzed that style.

She started countering, slashing at Rick and taking down his aura, Rick was groaning with effort. They broke apart, both heaving, All it would take was one hit to bring him down, Maria grinned as she charged, what she didn't see was Ricks hand in his back pocket. She couldn't dodge the knife that he threw, hitting her square in the chest with enough force to take down her aura. She didn't stop, this was all or nothing, she leaped…and Rick caught her hand and shoved his into her chest, sending her to red.

She fell back a few steps, the shock doing its work. She almost tried to hit her again when Goodwitches voice rang out: "It's a tie!"

Maria looked at the scoreboard, it showed that, in the time he caught her hand, he had taken a blow as well. It just lowered him enough to reach red, in a big tournament, they would just slow down the footage to find a winner, but since it was just a sparring match: it was a tie. Maria hands clenched, right before she remembered what her loss to Pyrrha had taught her. She needed to learn from defeats and to keep going, there was always tomorrow. Still, the tie stung, she turned to see Rick offering her a hand. She decided to take it, showing goods sportsman ship.

"Good fight, sorry about the cop out at the end, got desperate." Rick said with a laugh as the two walked out, the appropriate friends congratulated each other and the rest of the classes went off without a hitch.

 **A few hours later…**

Rick walked out of weapons shop, his eyes heavy and his hand sore. The point of that class was to modify your weapon, and it was always hard work. He yawned as he almost ran into Ozpin, a man he never though he would just wander into.

"Director! I didn't see you!" Rick said in surprise.

"It's fine…Rick was it? How are you settling in?" Ozpin said with a sip of coffee.

"Great, schools actually really nice," Rich said as suddenly his watch stated beeping, "Crap, hey I gotta go, nice talking with you!"

Rick stated down the corner, only to see Ruby and Weiss.

"Ozpin made a mistake." Was what Weiss said as Rick walked down the hallway, storming off as well. Ruby sunk to her knees, making Rick silently groan.

"Of course I have to, why the fuck not," Rick muttered as he walked next to Ruby, "Rough day?"

"What? Rick!" Ruby yelled as she got to her feet, "I guess you could say that."

"So, what's on your mind? I did hear that conversation, by the way." Rick replied back, making Ruby's face fall.

"Yeah, Rick? Do…you think I'm a good leader?" Ruby asked the psycho in a sad voice.

"Uhm, yeah," Rick said without hesitation, surprising Ruby, "Look, I've only met you a few hours ago, but you're doing alright."

Ruby brightened up at that.

"Ruby, you do have a few problems, but that's normal for a new leader," Rick added, "You just need to remember to be on your best behavior, you reflect your team. Besides, it's only been a day, that's not even long enough to tell if a TV show is good. Ruby, don't fall down on this, you're doing fine."

Ruby nodded as Rick walked away; she walked the halls, only to see a window with Weiss and Jaune.

 **A few minutes earlier…**

"Weiss, what's going on?" Jaune Arc said, he ran into her as she was storming off form something and they were now on the roof.

"I think I should have been leader of RWBY," Weiss said begrudgedly, not even trying to disguise her feelings, "Not that little brat."

"Uh…Weiss?" Jaune asked cautisly.

"What?!" She yelled back.

"You do know that...you kind of sound like a bitch, right?" Jaune muttered, earning a stare from Weiss.

"What did you just call me?" She said in a threatening tone of voice.

"OK, apparently Honesty isn't the best policy, alright," Jaune muttered to himself, "Look, it's only Ruby's first day. You sound like a spoiled brat; you haven't even given her a chance."

Weiss stuttered at the blond, only to stop as she actually thought about what he said. He…was right, it had only been one day and…Ruby was still new to this. Wow, she really had been a bitch.

"Oh…" Weiss said, the sheer horror that she had just done coming down on her. She had just wanted to be a leader so bad.

"Hey, Jaune?" Weiss asked suddenly.

"Yeah?" Jaune muttered back, still worried about Weiss.

"Thanks for talking to me, I needed that," Weiss said, before smiling devilishly, while this was a tender moment, it was the perfect timing for her plan, "Would you like to go out for coffee, tomorrow?"

"Uh…sure! I'd love that!" Jaune said as he started off, not noticing Weiss evil smile, "Meet you at the shop at…eight?

"Sure," Weiss yelled back before muttering "Idiot, still, he's perfect."

 **Back at RWBY room…**

Weiss entered the room as quietly as she could; she wanted to see if Ruby was still awake. She opened the flap that separated Ruby from the world, only to see the red head in a cold sweat. Weiss heard her breathing erractily; she knew instantly what has happening. Ruby was having a nightmare, and it looked like a bad one. Weiss knew she probably should ignore it, but for some reason, she couldn't. The heiress gently put her hand on Rubys should and tried to shake her out of it.

The shaking worked as Ruby's eyes shot open, she gripped Weiss's hand tightly. Right before actually looked at the heiress, as she turned her head, she saw the white hair. She quickly let go.

"Oh Weiss! I meant to talk to you…" Ruby started before Weiss cut her off.

"Ruby, I'm sorry about earlier, but…what was that?" Weiss asked, more than a little concern in her voice.

"It was…nothing, just a bad dream" Ruby muttered, turning away from the heiress.

"Ruby, you can talk to me…" Weiss said as she gently touched Ruby's hair.

"I can't…" Ruby muttered, before a squeak came out, "Weiss, could you…lay down next to me? I'm scared."

Weiss almost berated Ruby, but remembered what she and Jaune had talked about. She remembered that in some respect, Ruby was still a kid.

"Sure." Weiss replied, climbing into the bunk with Ruby. Weiss had to admit, Ruby was very cute when she slept…

 **At The Last Stop…**

"Welcome to The Last Stop! Can you give me some ID?" The bartender asked as EMAD walked in.

"We're not here for drinks; we're here to meet someone." Maria said as she took a seat at the bar. Thatch and Francois both looked around, Thatch liked the place, Francois didn't agree with the choice of wine, but it was cheery. Allison was a different story, she hated crowds, and this, while not packed, was a little tight for her liking.

"EMAD?" The bartender asked back.

"Yes, we are looking for…" Maria began before the bartender cut her off.

"I know, Harry's in the loo. Wait for him." The bartender answered as he polished a glass. As if on cue, Harry walked out at just that time.

"EMAD, good to see to you." Harry said, sitting down at the bar.

"Harry, how long have you been here?" Thatch asked, noticing the comfort that the detective expressed.

"All day, and no, I'm not drunk," Harry said with a hard stare at Thatch, "It's my day off and I wanted to catch up with an old friend. EMAD, meet Aedan Flint."

As he said that, he gestured to the bartender.

"He's a former huntsman; you can trust him with anything." Harry said as he leaned forward onto the bar.

"Harry, we didn't come this way to meet a new friend, what do you have on the corpse?" Maria asked her voice full of annoyance.

"Straight to business?" Harry asked, "Alright, first things first: your buddy, the Axman? He didn't kill him."

EMAD all almost fell down at this.

"I though that might be your reaction, anyway, I looked over the crime scene. Your friend was executed with a bullet from a high caliber pistol, not the kind the Axman carries. Now, of course, you could argue that he could have just switched guns, but there were two sets of foot print, the Axman and a second set that belonged to a female. She came in after the Axman left, and she shot your snitch in the head." Harry told the teams in a grave voice.

"How do you know that she just didn't come in after?" Allison asked back.

"Because, I know this chick's style, the man was killed for being a snitch, so you're not in any danger as far as I know. I praise what ever god presides over this universe, that your not."

"Who is it?" Maria asked, hoping to get information.

"A White Fang commander by the name of Caroline Leon," Harry said gravely, "Luckily for you, she was spotted leaving this morning. She isn't after you…yet."


	5. An Offer

"Maria!" Allison yelled, breaking the legionnaire out of her stupor. It had been weeks since they had met with Harry and had gotten the bad news, worse yet, they hadn't been able to track the Axman down. All they found was burned out hideouts and dead bodies, most of the survivors were new recruits that didn't know anything. This thought raced as she watched Jaune Arc get pummeled by Cardin, in her mind, that blonde wasn't even close to the level of training to be here.

"I'm sorry, what?" Maria asked, turning to Allison.

"So, if you wouldn't mind, could I ask you something? About Jaune and Weiss?" Allison asked, her question not surprising Maria. Jaune and Weiss had begun dating a few weeks ago and it was the talk of the school.

"Sure, what's on your mind?" The legionnaire asked, looking at Allison's face for a sign of what to come.

"I can see that Jaune is trying, but…am I the only one who thinks Weiss acts like she doesn't care? Not that she hates him, just that she doesn't act like a…girlfriend?" Allison asked, her unfamiliarity with relationships showing.

"I…don't know the best answer to that," Maria said with a sad smile, "I've never thought about relationships, but…I do have to agree. Jaune is giving it his all, Weiss…doesn't seem to be giving the same amount of effort."

"And that's a horrible way to be in a relationship," Rick said as he jumped in, "Love is hard to define, but to be in a relationship, you have to actually care."

" _Convenu,_ " Francois said as he leaned in as well, "Weiss isn't even trying."

"But, that's none of our business," Rick said as he leaned back, "I learned that a long time ago, you don't try to get involved in relationship trouble unless you really have to."

"Yeah, I have to agree," Maria said as she also leaned back before muttering to herself, "I think Pyrrha would disagree."

That was when the match ended, with Cardin kicking Jaunes ass to the curb. After a stern talking to by Goodwitch, who Rick swore acted more like a dominatrix every day, they dispersed to lunch.

 **In the lunch room…**

"You know, that's still not the strangest dream I've ever heard." Ben said as Nora finished her story, the ninja staring at Rick.

"Hey! It was one time!" Rick yelled back.

"You dreamed you survived a giant flood on a cruise ship and went shark fishing with a shotgun." Ben replied with a laugh.

"I was on medication! I can't be held responsible for anything I dream or say when I'm drugged!" Rick replied back, earning a laugh from everyone from the table which included teams RWBY, JNPR, EMBR, Rick, and most of EMAD. Francois was still getting his food, while the others talked, a laugh from everyone except Jaune.

"Jaune, are you OK?" Pyrrha asked, moving a little closer to the knight.

"Huh, Oh yeah, why?" Jaune asked nervously.

"It's just that you seem," Ruby replied awkwardly, "Not OK."

"Guys, I'm fine, see?" Jaune said with a attempt at bravado, the teen looked over at team CRDL picking on some random Faunas girl he didn't know.

"Jaune, Cardins been picking on you since the first week of class." Pyrrha said as she gave Weiss a hard stare, she was ignoring the conversation and focused on her nails. Pyrrha growled slightly at that, Weiss didn't act like she cared about Jaune at all.

"What? Cardin Winchester? He just likes to mess around, you know, practical jokes." Jaune tried to reply back, only earning looks from the his peers.

"He's a bully." Ruby said simply, a honest answer from a honest soul.

"He's an asshole." Richard added.

"Please, name one times he's bullied me." Jaune said to his friends.

"The books?" Maria said.

"The shield and the door? Though I do admit, that was kind of impressive." Richard added.

"The fucking locker?!" Rick added, appropriately ending the point.

"I didn't land far from the school." Jaune said with false bravado.

"Because you got lucky!" Ben said, even more concerned.

"Jaune, if you need help you can always just ask." Pyrrha said, trying to comfort the knight. She also gave Weiss another hard look, her eyes shooting daggers.

"We'll break his legs!" Nora yelled as she jumped to her feet.

"I can get behind that." Rick said as he leaned into the picture.

"Guy's, its fine. Besides, it's not like its just me, he's a jerk to everybody." Jaune said as he got to his feet, only to hear a cry of pain. The teams looked at the source to see that Cardin was pulling the faunas's ear now.

"Oh, shit." Thatch muttered, earning a look from all who where paying attention.

"Is it something good?" Rick said with a huge grin.

"I did mention about Francois having a girlfriend, well there she blows," Thatch said with a point the poor girl, "and here comes the bastard right now."

Team CRDL didn't notice the Frenchman approaching, the teen setting down his two trays as he got closer. He continued on, cracking his knuckles as he went.

"Is there going to be a fight?" Rick said as he leaned closer to Thatch.

"I don't know, maybe?" The pirate replied back, more than a little concerned for his teammate.

"Well, lets go help." Rick whispered.

"It should be fine, Francois can handle himself." Thatch said as he turned to his food.

"Dude, it's four against two, we can at least get in on some action." Rick said, making the pirate grin.

"You know, you are probably the devil on my shoulder, lets go." Thatch replied back, getting up alongside Rick. The pair walked towards CRDL, Francois was already there.

"Hey," The Frenchman yelled as he grabbed Cardins hand, earning a look from the rest of the team, "I would implore you to let go."

"Why?" Cardin said with a laugh, "She's just a animal."

"Really? I could have sworn that I was looking at a pig right now." Francois replied back, making Cardin drop the ear and jump to he feet, followed by his team.

"What did you just say, Pretty boy?" Cardin said as he cracked his knuckles, ready to put this fool in his place.

"I called you a pig, as in, uncultured swine." Francois said, secretly readying his fist for a fight. Cardin would have thrown a punch, except he looked over the Frenchmans shoulder and saw a 6'5 beast of a teen and a slightly shorter teen with a bloodlustful grin.

"Come on guys, let's go." Cardin muttered, knowing full well what these guys could do. He and his team could easily handle the single Frenchman, they couldn't handle the trio fighting together.

"I had it under control." Francois said as he turned to see the two.

"Yeah, I don't doubt that, but he looks like the kind of guy to hold a grudge. Probably not the best guy to piss off in the first semester." Thatch said with a grin, knowing full well that Francois could kick Cardins ass.

"Attrocious, I can't stand people like him." Pyrrha said as the pair walked back.

"You're not the only one." Blake said, crossing her arms.

"It must be hard being a faunas." Yang said also, putting her head in a thoughtful position on her hand.

"Damn right." Richard said, swallowing the last of his food.

 **A few hours later, after Ooblecks class…**

"You go on ahead, I'll wait for Jaune." Pyrrha said, giving a hard look at Weiss as she walked away. Pyrrha was getting more and more angry every day about the heiress, she had all the attention of Jaune and didn't realize the catch that she had. Jaune was kind, funny, honest, handsome…wait, what?

Pyrrha shook her head to clear her thoughts, Jaune Arc, handsome? Where did that come from? Her thoughts were interrupted by Jaune coming out of the class room, right before he got shoved down by Cardin.

"You know…I really will break his legs," Pyrrha said, helping her leader up, right before a bulb went on in her head, "I've got a idea!"

She said that as she dragged Jaune off…

 **At the roof…**

Rick leaned against the air vent as he quetly groaned, he had just hit a hideout and had to book it right after since EMAD had showed up. They didn't see him, but he still hurt himself as he was running back. He had taken a fall off a small building, he healed himself up but he was still bruised. The psycho had intended to heal up the next morning, but he still had to _get_ to his room.

That was when he heard the voices, he peeked over the ledge to see Jaune and Pyrrha. Normally he would curse his luck but he heard what they were talking about, about Jaunes transcripts. Ricks eyes widened like dinner plates, in his experience, there was way to much in place to _prevent_ this kind of stuff. He was snapped out of his stupor as he heard the voice of everyones least favorite student, Cardin Winchester. Ricks hands tightened as he listened, that bastard was going to hold this above Jaune, use him to be a lazy jack ass.

That made Rick angry, and you wouldn't like Rick when he is angry.

 **In the halls of Beacon…**

Pyrrha ran down the halls, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't figure out why this hurt her so much, why his words stung so badly. She rounded the corner, stopping at her dorm room. She sunk against the wall and let a few small sobs out, her mind was racing. She looked at it from every angle, suddenly stopping as she envisioned Jaune. She knew right then and there what was happening, she had gained something she had never though she would find at Beacon. She had fallen in love, and her love was that blonde knight: Jaune Arc.

 **In Ricks room…**

Rick slumped into bed, sighing as the pain took hold. He was about to sleep when his scroll buzzed, he looked over to see that it was Emily. He took it with a groan.

"What? I'm kind of dying over her." Rick groaned out in pain.

"Rick…I saw what happened, EMAD's getting too close. A confrontation is going to happen sooner or later, what do you intend to do?" Emily said on the other end, worry in her voice.

"I don't know, hey…give me a few days. I've got a problem that I need to think on that doesn't involve our…projects, talk to you in a few days." Rick muttered back and shut off the connection, falling asleep as soon as he did.

 **A few days later…**

Rick groaned as he scratched his head, he had been trying to work on a strategy to free Jaune for the last few days. The simplest solution would have been to just kill Cardin and be done with it, but he still had to shake off EMAD off his trail. The Axman killing a student at Beacon was a sure sign that something was up, so here he was, in quite the pickle. He was walking down the hall when he heard voices, he looked around the corner to see Ruby giving his little problem a pep talk.

"Jaune," Rick said after Ruby left, making said knight jump, "I see that you're having some issues."

"Wha…how did…yes, I do." Jaune said as he got to his feet, not noticing the stare that the psycho gave. A stare of pity, that stare was interrupted by Jaunes scroll beeping.

"Cardin?" Rick asked as Jaune took out his scroll, looking at the sender.

"Yeah." Jaune sighed, Rick walked away at that. He stopped at his rooms door and turned.

"Hey, Jaune? Don't be afraid to do something stupid, k?" Rick said as he walked into his room, leaving behind a very confused Jaune. Rick sat down on his bed, his mind still racing on how to help his friend. Jaune was like the brother he never had, and he wanted desperately to help out. The blonde knight was close to family…family. Ricks face broke into a wide grin, he had a plan…

 **The next day, in the forest of Forever Fall…**

Rick was looking around for trouble, he and his friends teams were all gathering sap. He only needed one jar, so he was put on watch. The psychopath yawned as he leaned against a tree, getting Bens attention.

"Hey, what's going on? You look deep in thought and that's always scary." Ben said as he leaned against the same tree.

"I'm just thinking about Jaune and Pyrrha, seems they're on a break." Rick said, cracking his neck in the process.

"Yeah, hate seeing that poor guy having to deal with Cardin." Ben said back, his eyes looking around for trouble.

"Ben, did you get the sap?" Emily yelled, making Ben smile.

"Why yes I did," Ben yelled back, making Emily nod her head back, "Where is Jaune anyway? I haven't seen him sense we got here."

"Don't know, hey…I've got a…" Rick started, only to be cut off by a roar.

"That can't be good." Rick muttered as all the other jumped to their feet. They heard the sounds of approaching feet and readied their weapons, only to see most of CRDL running away from something.

"Ursa, Ursa!" Russel Thrush yelled at the top of his lungs, only to run into Yang.

"What, Where?" She said as she picked the scared teen up.

"Over there, its got Cardin!" The teen yelled, making Pyrrha drop her jar of sap.

"Jaune!" She said qeuitly, only Maria hearing her as she was the closest. The centurian had to wonder at what was in that voice that bothered her so much.

"Shit!" Richard yelled as he drew his twinblade, turning around to look for more Ursa.

"Yang, you and Blake go get Goodwitch!" Ruby yelled as she readied her weapon.

"You two, got with her. There may be more." Pyrrha yelled to Ren and Nora.

"Richard, go with them. Micca, stay here and make sure that Emily doesn't get eaten. Ben, you're with me." Rick ordered as he drew his knife. Normally, Emily might get angry that Rick was ordering her team, but he had a decent point.

"Thatch, Francois, stay with Micca! Allison you're with me!" Maria yelled as she readied her weapon. The group nodded their heads as they parted, the people who went after Jaune split up as they went, easier to cover more ground that way. They walked in on a interesting sight, Cardin on the ground and the only thing keeping him from being dinner…was a scraggly blonde teens shield.

"Better man than me." Rick said as he watched the fight, he on the opposite of Ruby and Pyrrha.

"Yep," Ben said as he watched as well, noticing Rick draw his knife, "Wait, Pyrrhas on the other side, she's…doing something."

"Can you make the shot?" Maria asked Allison. They had ended up facing Jaunes back.

"Maybe, but they're to close. I might hit one of them." Allison said in a frustrated voice.

"Damn it!" Maria said, drawing her blade. She was about to charge when Jaune charged the Ursa, his shield was facing a way that would get him killed, "Shit."

Maria knew exactly how this was going to turn out, as much as she didn't want to admit it. She would miss the blonde idiot, but fate had other plans. Suddenly his shield came up and blocked the beast giant paw, with a quick change of direction, he cleaved the creatures head clean off.

"Holy shit!" Rick yelled, not loud enough to be of notice.

"Huh, magnetism. Cool." Ben said as he looked around, looking for more enemies.

"Damn straight," Rick said as he watched Jaune give Cardin a hand…and threaten him, as the blonde walked off, Rick noticed something, "Cardin doesn't even care."

"Yeah, he comes across as someone who likes to be in charge." Ben replied back, his voice filled with anger. The pair held their tongues as they walked back to the clearing with Emily, finding Goodwitch already there. She quicly ordered the teams away from the forest, and they complied. They had had enough shit for one day, well…all but three did.

"Hey, Thatch, could you come here?" Rick asked as they started walking away.

"Sure, what's up?" Thatch said, slowing down to meet Rick and Ben.

"Cardin a ungrateful jackass, that's what." Ben said, keeping his voice low.

"I've go a plan to deal with him, but I need a man of your…talents." Rick whispered.

"What do you mean?" Thatch asked back.

"I mean that I need someone whose not afraid to get his hands dirty to help a friend. You come across as that type." Rick answered, making Thatch grin.

"Go on, how are we going to help?" Thatch said with that grin, "Cardin doesn't seem to be one to let go of whatever he has on Jaune, what's the plan?"

"I'm gonna make him a offer he can't refuse." Rick said with a strange accent, one like mafia boss would have…

 **Later that night…**

Cardin wandered the paths of Beacon, he was still pissed at Jaune but he had decided to let the insult go. The guy did save his life, but he still needed his servant. He was out because one of his "associates" had procured a couple of nude shots of team RWBY and the females from EMAD, EMBR, and JNPR. He was supposed to meet with his team, but he could't seem to find them.

 **At the fountan…**

The rest of team CRDL was hanging on the statue for dear life, the fountain was filled with amphibious Grimm. That's what they thought, at least.

"Nice, what's your semblance anyway? Has to be a good one to get those idiot pissing in their pants." Ben said as he and Thatch watched the team cower in fear.

"Terror, I can make them see a nightmare of my choosing, or their worst fear. Whatever's appropriate at the time." Thatch said as he grinned at how stupid the team looked.

"Oh, that's interesting…" Ben said, Thatch catched a little bit of…something in that voice. He couldn't place it, but he decided not to ask. Everyone had a fear, most don't take kindly to having it revealed…

 **At the alley…**

Cardin turned into _the_ alley, due to the Dust labs and weapon shops being right next to each other, a pulse was sent out almost every day from either shop. So there couldn't be cameras here, so the alley became the place for…less than savory activities. Mainly the buying and selling of porn, and Cardin was here for what he thought was going to be a good time.

As he walked into the alley, a wall suddenly rose up behind him. He turned to see that he was trapped, that was when the lights came on. They came from the other end of the alley, illuminating a figure. Cardin could make out what looked like a nice suit and a fedora.

"Cardin Winchester," The figure spoke, his voice heavily accented, "I hear that you may have found some information about Jaune Arc."

"Yeah, so?" Cardin said, trying to be cool, only to have the man rush him and shove him to the ground.

"Not many people know this, but the Arc family is part of THE family," The man said, grabbing the teen and throwing him to the other side, "We don't take kindly to fools fucking with the family."

Cardin was scared speechless, only to discover that he could be even more terrified as the man pulled out a baseball bat.

"Now, you're gonna stop fucking with Mr. Arc, comprende?" The man asked, as he lined up the bat with one of Cardins kneecaps.

"Yes, whatever you say." Cardin yelled in terror, he thought he was in a life or death situation and he wanted to live.

"Good, but to make sure you remember…" The man said as he slammed his weapon into the teens right leg. Snapping his knee to face the wrong direction, Cardin screamed in agony as the man suddenly grabbed his face, "If you keep fucking, this gets worse."

The man left Cardin screaming in agony as the barrier disappeared, the lights disappeared as quicly as they came, leaving Cardin alone. The man walked a short distance away, before dropping the stage lights off at the theater department. He grinned as he took out his scroll.

"Ben, Thatch, problem has been dealt with." Rick said, hearing the sound of laughter on the other end.

"Good! I assume that he's in pain?" Thatch said on the other end.

"Lets just say that he's…not going to be fighting until at least next semester." Rick said right before he cut the connection. He started on his way, but then his scroll beeped again, this time it was Emily.

"Yes?" Rick asked, taking off his hat.

"Rick, we need to talk about EMAD, their getting too close. I think that confrontation is inevitable." Emily said on the other end, making Ricks face get into pondering mode.

"If that's the case, then we might as well confront each other. Get me a place where we can meet, then I'll deal with them." Rick said, cutting off the connection.


	6. Truth

Team EMAD looked at their surroundings; they were in a dark warehouse that was dimly lit. Harry had told them about a meeting that was supposed to go down involving Mary Blud and some other criminals, he couldn't come in since he was on another case but he sent it EMAD's way. The team was ready for anything, but the place seemed abandoned. Looked like no one had been here for a while.

"Allison, do you see anything?" Maria whispered.

"Maria, my semblance might allow me to see details, but I can't see in the dark." The quiet teen whispered back.

"Maria, something doesn't feel right about this place." Thatch whispered suddenly, making everyone jump.

"What gave you that idea? The darkness? Or the creepy corridors?" Francois replied sarcastically back, his bravado hiding his unease. The team entered a large room in single file.

"Shut up, what was that?" Maria ordered, she had heard something, something metallic sliding on metal.

"Hopefully Mary Blud." Thatch said with a small amount of bloodlust in his voice, he was ready to put that woman behind bars.

"It sounded like it came from behind us." Maria whispered back, making everyone else look back. That's when a massive door came down, separating Allison from the group.

"Allison!" Thatch yelled as the door closed, slamming his fist into the metal.

"I'm OK, just a little surprised, that's all." Allison yelled through the door, on her side it was almost completely black, only red emergency lights illuminated the room.

"Allison, hit the door with some ice, we'll bust it from here." Maria's voice rang from the other side.

"Sure." Allison yelled back as her weapon glowed blue, ice formed along the hand.

"You lost little girl?" A voice rang out behind her; she turned and tried to blast the source. Only for it to be blocked by a thrown knife, the voice's source came close enough to see at this point. Allison only needed to see the eyes to know who it was, that mask wasn't easy to forget. The Axman approached her with weapon in hand, the light making him look far more intimidating that he appeared normally.

"Allison?!" Came Maria's voice, she had heard the blast.

"He's here, The Axman is here!" Allison yelled, right before the vigilante charged. He slammed his ax into her weapons hilt, forcing her to defend. She countered by doing a swing that slammed the butt of her weapon into his mask.

"Nice hit," The Axman muttered as he recovered, "Now, we calmed down?"

Allison responded with a bash at his chest, the Axman responded by catching the blade on the flat of his axe. The teen girl responded by trying another hit on his legs, only for him to leap over the clawed head.

"So, a fight is what you want?" The vigilante laughed as he readied himself, "Shame, we could have learned so much from each other."

Allison charged again, this time using fire dust to enhance her strikes. The Axman managed to parry every strike, though the flames burned at his flesh. Allison smiled, she had one advantage over him, her weapon was able to keep him at a distance so he couldn't get close to attack her. At least, that was until he suddenly grabbed the weapon by the staff.

"You should know better than to play with fire." The Axman said as he pulled her towards him, loosing her balance along the way. The Axman responded by grabbing her armor and executing a hard head butt. The small girl crumpled into his arms, making the Axman sigh.

"If only you didn't attack," Rick muttered as he started rifling through her pockets, stopping as he found her scroll, "Emily, got her scroll should be able to track the rest of EMAD."

"How is she?" Emily's asked through the com.

"Nothing permanent, just going to wake up with a huge headache. Activating her scroll now." Rick said as he booted up her scroll, the screen showing exactly where her teammates were. Rick silently moved along through the corridors, finding the best spot to ambush his next victim.

 **Back at EMAD…**

"Damn it," Allison yelled, she had heard the blow through the metal, the fact that Allison didn't confirm after they stopped meant that she had been defeated. Maria could only hope that her partner was still alive, Thatch didn't take the silence well.

"Fuck!' He yelled as he slammed his fist into the door again, his eyes were wild.

"Thatch," Francois said, putting his hand on the pirates shoulder, making the teen whirl around, "Calm down; I know that you're worried, but she's a fighter. She'll be alright."

Thatch took one look at the door before turning back to face Maria.

"We've got to find her; we've got to make sure she's ok." Thatch said desperately, if there were any doubts about his feelings, they were gone now.

"We will," Maria assured him, "For now we need to focus on finding the Axman, who knows what he's capable of. If we find him, he can lead us to Allison."

The rest of EMAD nodded as they started moving, the only door they saw that was open lead to a set of stairs. The team was forced to go down single file, Maria at the head, Thatch in the middle, Francois in the back. They walked along silently, hoping to sneak past the psychopath who was hunting them. As they walked, Francois heard a sound behind him, before he could say anything, he felt an arm wrap around his neck. The sudden sound of the scuffle made Maria and Thatch whirl around with weapons drawn, only to see that damn mask as he threw himself and Francois to the bottom of the staircase.

They two hit with a thud, Thatch and Maria nodded at each other as they started running. As the pair recovered from their fall, they eyed each other. Francois tried to draw his weapon, only for the Axman to rush in and grab his arm. The Frenchman was surprised at the vigilante's strength, but he managed to shove him off. He fully drew his weapon and took a slash at the psycho, who back stepped right before he rushed in. This time, grabbing the mans hand, rather than waste time on a struggle, the Axman grabbed the teens head and slammed it into the stair railing, making a resounding clang.

The teen slumped to the floor unconscious, the Axman would have made a comment, but he heard the footsteps of Maria and Thatch. He took off down the only hallway in the area, his footsteps echoing. Thatch and Maria reached the Frenchman's unconscious body, Thatch taking his pulse.

"He'll be fine, just knocked out." The pirate said.

"Good, we need to keep moving." Maria ordered, making Thatch nod. The pair ran down the hallway, moving into another junction. They looked down both hallways, they couldn't see anything, but before they could make a comment, a black form slammed into Thatch. The pair didn't even have time to scream as another door slammed shut from above, separating them.

Maria screamed in frustration as Thatch and his assailant rolled to their knees, both taking in their opponents. As they stood to their full heights, Thatch noticed the vigilante was a little bit shorter than him. That train of though disappeared as the Axman charged, swing his ax in an arc. Thatch blocked with his blades, crossing them into a X. He responded with a hard elbow to the head, the blow glanced off, but allowed for the pirate to push against his opponent.

Thatch shoved his opponent to the side and went for another swing, hitting a pipe as the Axman dodged. The pipe started pumping water into the hallway as the pair clashed again, this time they seemed equally matched. They both locked eyes, Thatches eyes and his opponents white eyeholes. The intensity could be felt through the mask; only one person was walking away from this. Thatch was suddenly knocked back as the Axman did a head butt, Thatches eyes cleared enough to see what his opponent was doing.

"Funny thing about water," The Axman said as he was on the edge of said water, "It is a great conductor."

Thatch's eyes widened as the vigilante's hand suddenly had lightning in it, he tried to charge, but the Axman just slammed his fist into the water. The current hit Thatch like a load of bricks, shocking him to the floor. As the water lost the charge, the Axman rushed to the teen's sight. He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt a pulse, there was only one left…

 **Back at Maria…**

Maria almost screamed in frustration, now it was just her against a brutal psychopath who she had no idea of what he was capable of. The centurion looked around her, she had a hallway and the stairs from were she came. Maria formalized a plan in her head, she that if she got ambushed, her chances were lessened for survival. She needed a place that was flat and didn't have too many corners, in a place like this; there was only one place like that.

 **Back to Rick…**

The Axman watched on the scroll as she bolted towards the stairs, he had to give her credit, she was a smart girl. She knew that she had a better chance if he couldn't ambush her, The Axman looked at a nearby shaft, and he could get there pretty quickly as well.

 **Maria POV…**

The teen burst through the door at the top of the stairs, the roof was nice and flat, it would be nigh impossible to sneak up on her here.

"Nice night," A voice asked from above the door, Maria looked up into the eyes of the mask, "Shame we didn't meet in a better place."

"How did you know I was here?" Maria asked, jumped away and pulling out her shield.

"Simple," The Axman said as he threw down Allison's scroll, "You should tell your teammates to lock their scrolls better."

The Axman noticed the wide eyes of Maria.

"Don't worry, they're not dead, I think we need to…" The Axman started before Maria's shield turned into its minigun and fired, "So that's how it's gonna be…"

Rick landed with a roll and charged, Maria shifted her weapon back to its shield and the two locked weapons. His axe against her shield, Maria could immediately tell that this man was probably stronger than her physically, but she still had her secret weapon. She shoved him away, and readied her self for combat. The Axman charged again, this time using faster movements. Maria's eyes could barely keep up with him; it wasn't that he was fast. His attacks were so random that it would be impossible to predict his attacks for a normal person, Maria wasn't a normal person.

Her semblance was working overtime; she was analyzing his style, looking for a weakness. Truth be told, it wasn't easy, she could pick up on any fighting style just by watching, but this…was something else. His style was focused on pure id, it had no rhyme or reason and it was hard for her to track his style. She slowly started to understand, she knew she had to be patient and wait for just the right moment and… _there!_

She suddenly lashed out with her shield, slamming him full on in the chest but more importantly, disarming him of his axe. The vigilante rolled to his feet, only to look at his empty hand in surprise. Maria quickly stood over the weapon, she thought that he was defenseless, or at least, not as capable as he was before.

"Surrender." Maria ordered, making the Axman laugh.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but…I'm not just a lumberjack." The Axman said as he drew a knife, the light on the roof made it harder to see, so she couldn't make out the type. She could see the stance in which he held it, down across the palm. The stance looked familiar, but she couldn't place it. She didn't have time to think as he charged, this time focusing on keeping her on the defensive. As the fought, something ringed in the back of Maria's mind, something that wouldn't go away. Why did his style with the knife look so familiar?

She couldn't figure it out until the man grabbed her shield, and tried to rip it off her arm. That's when she figured it out, though, in that moment of distraction; he got past her shield and locked his knife with her blade. The pair looked into each other's eyes, Maria's mind raced, how could she have been so blind? The clash was broken off as a gunshot rang out, the bullet striking the Axman in the head. The helmet stopped any damage, but it forced him to look at the shooter. Francois readied himself for another shot; the Axman did a quick maneuver and grabbed his ax.

He jumped away from another shot, this time he saw that the rest of EMAD had gotten up to the roof.

"I'm afraid I must bid you goodbye." He yelled as he threw down a smoke crystal. As it cleared, he wasn't in sight.

" _Merde!"_ Francois yelled, running over and looking over the side. He saw nothing.

"Maria, are you all right?" Allison said as she kneeled next to her leader, who had fallen when the Axman had run.

"Why didn't I see it?" Maria muttered, making Allison perk up.

"See what?" The Asian teen asked.

"I know who the Axman is…" Maria muttered; just load enough to gain everyone's attention.

"Who is it?" Francois asked, running over.

"It's…Rick." Maria asked, making everyone almost fall down in shock.

 **Later, in EMAD's room….**

"How did we not figure this out sooner?" Francois said his voice much more serious than normal.

"Ricks clever, used two different weapons for two sides of life, it's not really that surprising." Allison piped in; she was still in shock at the reveal.

"Yeah, but we should have seen it, Rick was always crazy enough to be the Axman, and he's from the same area." Thatch threw in the air, the group still in shock about being fooled.

"On top of that, he always played the idiot card. I never thought that an idiot would be capable of avoiding the cops and the detectives that would be sent after him." Maria said, sitting down on her bed.

"But now that we have him, we can turn him in!" Francois said suddenly, his face growing into a huge grin.

"Why?" Thatch asked suddenly, making everyone turn to him, "Why should we turn him in?"

"He's a killer! Why on earth wouldn't we? He's no better than the scum that he kills!" Francois suddenly yelled back.

"Is he? Not going to lie to you guys, he's no more a killer than Harry or his buddy Hawk." Thatch shot back.

"But they are authority; their job is to protect us, not to leave bodies." Allison jumped in, her voice quiet.

"On top of that, he attacked us! What's to say he won't again?" Francois asked the pirate.

"You know what? Fine, believe what you will, it doesn't matter. We don't even have evidence _to_ put him away." Thatch replied back, his voice showing anger.

"What do you mean?" Allison asked.

"All we have is Maria's semblance to go off of; you think that would hold in court?" Thatch asked, making everyone suddenly look down, they had gotten so excited that they hadn't thought of that, "I'm going out; I've got to clear my head."

Thatch walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. The rest of the team looked at each other.

"I'll get him." Allison whispered as she left the room.

"Fearless leader?" Francois asked, snapping Maria out of her thoughts.

"What?" Maria asked.

"You haven't said much this entire time, something wrong?" Francois asked as he sat on his bed.

"I…I need to think about this." Maria said, right before she fell back on her bed and fell asleep. Francois didn't blame her, he was exhausted as well.

 **Meanwhile…**

"Edward!" Allison called out, making the pirate stop in his tracks. He turned to regard his teammate, "What's going on?"

"It's," Thatch started, "Complicated."

"Why? Isn't it clear? Ricks a murderer, we need to give him to justice." Allison said putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know I don't approve of all the bodies that he leaves but…is he wrong?" Thatch asked, making Allison stop in her tracks.

"W-what?" She asked her confusion evident.

"Is he wrong? Think about it, if we actually caught Mary Blud, what would happen?" Thatch asked, making Allison think.

"We'd give her to Harry." Allison answered.

"Then what? You think that she would get put away? She's got her hand in everyone's pocket, she would be walking in days," Thatch said back, his voice grim, "The only way to stop her permanently, would be to end her life."

"But…that doesn't excuse…"Allison started before being cut off.

"It doesn't? How many of the important players we put up actually go to prison? Most of them are released on technicalities, we don't stop criminals, and we just protect the people that they hurt." Thatch said, making Allison think.

"To save the plant, you must pull the weed." She muttered, her realization coming through.

"You know why Harry sends us small fish? Not the big meetings like when Mary is meeting with the leaders of the White Fang?" Thatch asked back.

"To protect us." Allison answered back.

"That, and because if we did, they would be free and they would want revenge. Harry would have to do some terrible things if he sent us those meetings, and he can't risk that," Thatch said with finality, "I'm not saying that we should start killing, but people like Rick…we need them."

 **The next day…**

Pyrrha was fighting Weiss in combat class, to everyone's expectation, Pyrrha was doing very well. Everyone around them was cheering, especially Jaune, he wanted his girlfriend to know she had his support. Pyrrha grit her teeth as the fight went on, it wasn't hard, but the fact that Jaune was giving his support to Weiss frustrated her more than usual right now. Pyrrha always put on a good show, she always wanted to give her opponents a fair fight, and so it went on.

Team EMAD was watching the fight, each not talking to each other. They were still exhausted from last night, and each was still in shock about the facts. Francois was the most shocked as Allison had started to agree with Thatch on Rick, Maria didn't comment on it, but she was still disturbed as well. They hadn't talked for the rest of the day, even Rick noticed the silence.

"So, what's going on?" Rick asked as he leaned back, being bored with the fight.

"It's nothing." Maria said harshly, showing more emotion than she should.

"Really? It doesn't look like nothing." Rick replied, noticing how the air suddenly shifted.

"It involves a piece of scum who has been hiding right beneath our nose." Francois piped in, his rage showing. The rest of the team's eyes widened, they didn't expect Francois to address him so openly.

"Oh, so you've figured out about Thatch's porn stash? Man, I told you…got to find a better place for that shit." Rick said, not showing any sign of knowing what was implied. Francois almost made another comment, but was stopped by Allison's foot. He looked at her, and saw Thatch's face that said 'talk again, and we are going to have very serious problems.'

They all refocused their attention back on the arena, where something interesting was happening. Pyrrha had blocked a strike, Jaune cheering in the background, but…then Ruby cheered, and Weiss face broke into a grin. Something in Pyrrha snapped, and all she wanted to do was to wipe that grin off that heiress bitches face. Suddenly, Weiss's weapon was pulled forward, knocking her off balance. Her eyes widened as Pyrrha suddenly grabbed her arm and, with a quick snap of her hand, disarmed her.

The students all became silent, even Goodwitch was shocked at this display, this was a dirty trick. It didn't fit the legendary Nikos at all, and they remained shocked as she suddenly kneed Weiss in the gut and slammed the butt of her weapon into the back of her head, knocking her to the floor. Her aura was in the red, almost as quickly as it began, Pyrrha lost what she was feeling. Her sanity returned, and she realized what she had just done.

The Amazon looked around at everyone surprised faces, especially Maria's. She had seen Pyrrha fight many times and had never seen her end a match so…brutally. Pyrrha took another look around, stopping at Jaune, and suddenly took off out of the arena. Jaune started up, but Maria grabbed him.

"No, wait." She whispered, noticing Weiss get up as well. The Heiress took a look around and took off after her opponent, Ruby looked saddened as well. She almost took off, but then she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Rick.

"Hold up, let's follow her." The Psycho said as he waited for the heiress to leave. The pair got to their feet and followed. Jaune turned to see Maria walking away, after a moment of hesitation, he followed Weiss…

 **At the roof…**

Pyrrha was staring into the clouds; it was overcast, and was trying to figure out what happened back there. She had taken the support for Weiss before, but…what happened was different. Her train of thought was interrupted by Weiss coming in from one of the doors. They were on the giant roof over the great hall; there was more than one door. Rick and Ruby hid behind another door.

"Pyrrha, what was that?" Weiss asked as she approached, noticing the sudden anger in her eyes, "Is there a problem?"

"It's…it's nothing," Pyrrha started before her face hardened suddenly, "no…it is something. What with you and Jaune?"

"What?" Weiss yelled back, surprise.

"Don't play dumb, you know exactly what I mean." Pyrrha yelled back, getting angrier.

"I don't Pyrrha, what do you mean 'me and Jaune?' We're dating, what's so complicated?" Weiss asked back.

"It's not that, it's how you treat him!" Pyrrha yelled back, her voice becoming shriller.

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked, genuinely confused.

"Jaune's giving you his entire devotion, and you've barely said a nice word to him for it." Pyrrha yelled back.

"What?" Weiss yelled back, "Why do you care?"

Pyrrha sudden silence said it all.

"You can't be serious," Weiss said, taking a step back, "You like him?"

Pyrrha suddenly looked at Weiss.

"How can you like him? Sure, he's sweet, but he's not exactly…" Weiss started but couldn't finish.

"My type? The fact that you don't know more about him shows how much you actually know," Pyrrha yelled, that's when her face grew hot, she remembered something. The duel, it wasn't Jaune that pushed her over; it was when Ruby cheered… "You don't love him, do you? You like someone else."

"What? What makes you say that?" Weiss said, her face growing red.

"Ruby, it was Ruby who made you smile," Pyrrha said, her voice small, "Why? Why are you dating Jaune when you love her?"

"It's not that simple…" Weiss began before Pyrrha cut her off.

"Why then? Tell me why?" Pyrrha screamed.

"Because I don't want to be sold off!" Weiss yelled, making Pyrrha stop, "I'm…I'm to be married to a wealthy son after I graduate. I made a deal with my father that if I could find a suitable partner…I could marry him."

"So…you're just using him?" Pyrrha said, tilting her head down.

"It's not like that…" Weiss began, only for Pyrrha to cut her off.

"It isn't? Your using him to further your own gains," Pyrrha said, her voice filled with venom, "I won't let you."

"Pyrrha…please." Weiss begged, tears running down her face.

"He needs to know." Pyrrha replied back.

"He already does." Jaunes voice came across the roof. All eyes turned to see that Jaune was on the roof, "Weiss, I…find Ruby, talk to her. I…I knew about this already, I just…didn't want to believe it."

Jaune sighed as he waked away, Pyrrha chasing after him. Weiss sunk to her knees as they left, tears running down her face. Ricks hand patted Ruby's back, the sign of the go ahead. She walked up to Weiss and comforted her like she had been doing for her these past few months.

 **Jaune and Pyrrhas lookout…**

Pyrrha found Jaune sitting on the edge, she sat down beside him.

"She was wrong you know…" Jaune said suddenly, making Pyrrhas head turn.

"What?" Pyrrha asked back.

"I know that you don't like me, come on. It's crazy, you're Pyrrha Nikos. Why would you settle for me? Blond, scraggly, weak, I didn't even get into Beacon on my own." Jaune said with a laugh. Pyrrha almost laughed, even after all that…Jaune was still that fool she couldn't help but love.

"Jaune, do me a favor? Close your eyes." Pyrrha said, Jaune obeying. He assumed it was something involving Aura, what happened next, was very different. He felt something touch his lips, then a hand on the back of his head. His eyes opened to see Pyrrha red hair glowing, that's when it hit him. Pyrrha Nikos was kissing him…

 **In the library…**

"Hey Allison!" Micca said as she walked around the book shelf, the small teen jumped at the words. It was late and not many people were here, "Mind if I sit here?"

"No, go right ahead." Allison muttered, her mind not there.

"So…you guy know about Rick?" Micca asked as she sat down, making Allison jump,

"Wait, how did…" Allison began before Micca cut her off.

"Rick knows, your friend really needs to learn when to speak," Micca stated, Allison nodding, "So, what are you going to do about it?"

"We don't know yet," Allison said, feeling much calmer about talking, "Me and Thatch think that we need to keep him around, Francois and Maria think that we need to turn him in."

"Interesting." Micca said, suddenly Allison didn't feel the same as five seconds ago.

"You just used your semblance again, didn't you?" The girl asked.

"Yep." Micca said, leaning back in her chair.

"Why? Why are you helping him?" Allison asked suddenly, making Micca smile.

"That's kind of a long story, you see…when I was younger, I was part of the White Fang. I was known as the Taipan…" Micca's rant was being heard by two people, and one of them walked out at that last part…

 **The next day…**

Maria was pacing, she had just told her teammates what she was about to do…and the results were expected.

"You didn't listen to the entire thing, did you?" Allison asked her face down.

"It doesn't matter, we have one of the greatest White Fang assassins in our midst, and she's just walking around!" Maria yelled back.

"I don't know, what if she's really changed?" Francois interjected.

"She could just be gaining our trust, getting close." Maria said, her voice filled with confidence.

"If Rick finds out about this, it may be more explosive than we want." Thatch added as well.

"That's why I need you guys; you're the only people here who have actually fought Rick." Maria stated simply. The team all looked at each other, their expressions one of confusion. Then, one by one, they stood up. They may not like it, but they couldn't let Maria do something this risky by herself. The leader nodded as she started off, as the team left. Thatch noticed a black clad teen beside their door.

"I assume that you're going after Micca?" Ben asked, eating a random apple.

"What do you want?" Thatch asked, his voice very gruff.

"Simple," Ben said as he took a bite, "I'm here to warn you, Thatch…what ever happens, don't use your semblance on Rick. He knows, and he's not happy. If you use it, you'll unlock hell and all its fury."

Thatch watched as the teen walked down the hallway, whistling. He shook his head as the started off towards EMAD, as they rounded the hallway to the elevator that lead to the headmasters office, they saw something.

"Hello, EMAD," Rick said, machete and ax in hand, "Nice night."

As if to punctuate the moment, lightning cracked outside. Making Rick a black silhouette against the window…


	7. Fear

The lightning that illuminated Rick faded, team EMAD stared at him with a slight amount of shock. His face, for the first time since they met him, was serious. His eye looked wild, like he was ready for a fight. EMAD tensed, they knew that Rick was dangerous, especially since he didn't need to hide who he was. Maria had a small pit in her stomach; she realized that she might have just brought her team into a dangerous situation.

"So…you figured it out?" Rick said suddenly, his voice low.

"You already know the answer to that," Francois said, taking a step forward, " _Enfoire!"_

"I assume that you just cussed me out," Rick said with a grin, making him look even more terrifying to EMAD, "allow me to retort in English, fuck you guys."

"Rick…" Allison said as she stepped forward, she knew his story and she didn't want to fight him.

"Allison!" Maria yelled, "Get back."

"Let her speak, Dust knows that she deserves it," Rick said, only to have Maria start walking forward, "What are you doing?"

"What do you think? She's infiltrated a major organization; she could be planning to kill Ozpin! They have to know!" Maria yelled as she got to him, only for him to block her off with his axe.

"If you take one more step, I'll cut your goddamned heart out." Rick said, not taking his eyes of the rest of EMAD. Maria didn't even hesitate after that, she suddenly pulled her blade and slashed at Rick. The psychopath dodged and leapt back, his eyes snapping to see that the rest of EMAD had pulled out their weapons.

"Don't do this Rick…" Thatch said, hoping to get through to the teen. Rick's response was to suddenly charge the pirate, Thatch blocked with his swords. The blades locked and Thatch looked into the eyes of a very angry Rick. Allison swung her weapon; Rick dodged with a move akin to the matrix, and performed a kick to her side. Francois moved next, trying to stab the teen. Rick simply swung his machete to catch the blade; he then righted himself as he performed a head butt to the Frenchman's face.

The group continued dueling as Maria watched, her team knew as well as she did that if she could figure out Rick's style, they could take him down much easier. What Maria couldn't understand, was how she couldn't predict his attacks. She could see how he fought and saw so many weaknesses, but she couldn't predict his next attack. Her mind snapped back as he suddenly kicked Francois away from the group, the teen stumbled, and Rick vaulted right over him.

Maria almost didn't get her shield up in time to block his first strike; his second one was blocked as well. Thatch ran in with Allison, the pair swinging, but Rick was fast enough to dodge their advances. Using Maria's shield as leverage, Rick vaulted over the pair, landing on Francois. The Frenchman cried in pain as he suddenly performed a rather impressive spin kick, knocking Rick off. Francois came at him with a hard, only for Rick to grab the blade.

 _Armored gloves?_ Francois though as he pulled the blade out of the teens hand, _clever…_

Francois pulled back so Thatch could rush in, their blades sparked as they clashed. Rick's eyes started into Thatch's, bloodlust was in both of them. They didn't want to fight, but they sure as hell didn't want to lose. Rick shoved him off; Francois saw his opportunity and ran in. That's when he noticed something; his blade seemed off, like it was heavier. He tried to stab Rick, only for his speed to noticeably lower. Rick easily dodged the blade, that's when Francois saw the ice on it.

 _Clever bastard…_ Francois thought as he was kicked back, Thatch rushed in again, this time, Rick grabbed the pirates' weapon handle. Thatch didn't have time to react before Rick grabbed Francois's blade, after a roar of effort, the blades were pulled together. Francois and Thatch didn't have time to yell before the sound of ice rang out, the pair found themselves frozen to each other.

Rick turned to see Maria and Allison watching, their eyes wide. Allison was actually scared, Maria simply out of shock of the move. Rick was dangerous, they all knew that, but if he was crazy enough to try stuff like this on a regular basis, then they were in serious trouble.

"Should have walked away…" Rick said as he charged, Maria and Allison going on the defensive. Maria kept analyzing as they fought, his strikes barely started to make sense. She knew what was happening, he wasn't changing his style, fighting with pure id meant that even he didn't know what was happening next. That's when Maria smiled, she could deal with this.

At least, that's what she thought, Allison managed to strike Rick in the chest and left him open to an attack. Maria took that chance and tried to drive her blade into his chest, that's when she saw Ricks smirk. The teen suddenly dove, and Maria's blade slammed into Allison's chest. The shock on both of their faces was lost as Rick grabbed Maria and threw her down the hall towards Thatch and Francois, the psychopath followed up with a jump onto the centurion. She gasped as he landed on her, and then she saw the ice forming in his hand.

Maria tried to rise, but Rick slammed his hand into her shield. The centurion could only watch as he froze her shield, hand included, to the ground. Maria gasped again, this time out of disbelief, she could only watch as he rose to face Allison.

"It's only you; do you wish to keep fighting?" Rick asked, Allison responded by raising her weapon, "So be it…"

Rick charged in again, doing his best to keep her on the defense. She was pushed to a nearby window, and Rick kept pushing. They locked blades, this time Allison smiled; she did a quick vault over her opponent, and slammed her weapons head against his chest. Rick gasped as he slammed into the window, cracking it, right before he turned to grab Allison by the scruff of her neck. He drew a knife as grabbed her, and readied it above her head.

"No!" Thatch yelled, his eyes turning red, he forgot about Ben's warning, he forgot that Allison had a full aura bar so she wasn't in any danger; he forgot that Rick was still a friend, all he was thinking about was Rick killing Allison. Ricks hands stopped as his eyes widened, he was seeing his worst fear, and Allison broke free. The girl hit him again, this time sending him through the window, which was when she had a realization.

Rick…was falling, he was falling out of the window, and he was locked in a state of fear…

"Rick!" Allison yelled as she leapt out to grab him, forgetting her own safety, and fell along side of him. She maneuvered to where she was on the bottom, and they both slammed into the ground below. Allison felt the air escape her lungs, she was fine, but the blow exhausted her aura and left her tired. Rick rolled off her as he started crawling away, still stuck in a state of fear.

"Allison!" Thatch yelled as he leaped out the window, followed by the rest of EMAD, the ice was easy to break after they got over their shock. They didn't have a fairly heavy teenage boy land on them, so they didn't get exhausted.

"Allison, are you all right?" Maria asked as she got on her knee next to the fallen girl.

"I…I should be fine, nothing damaged, just my aura." Allison said with a weak grin to show she was all right.

"What the fuck was that?" Thatch asked, leaning in, "You could have died!"

"Thatch," Allison said, putting a hand on his chest, "You put him in a state of fear, he couldn't stop himself…"

The teen would have continued, but a cackle filled the air. The team turned to see that Rick was suddenly getting to his feet.

"And you really shouldn't have done that." Rick said, his voice sounding crazier than ever.

"Rick…" Maria said, getting to her feet, she was ready to end this.

"Ricks not here at the moment, leave a message after the tone." Rick yelled suddenly before breaking into a laugh, it made all of EMAD tense up.

"What…What does that mean?" Francois asked, "Speak up you bastard!"

"It's simple," Rick said as he got to his feet, "You see…me and Rick live in the same body, he just uses it more than I do. I like to stay in the shadows, watching him commit justice with the body is enough to sate me, but sometimes, I can get out. Then, I have some real fun…"

"If you're not Rick, who are you?" Thatch said, getting to his feet, his unease showing.

"Call me…the Butcher," the teen said, all traces of humor leaving his voice, "I'm going to show you the true meaning of fear…"

The team didn't even have time to break up before the Butcher was on them; he grabbed Francois and threw him away from the group. The Butcher chased after him, leaving the rest.

"Thatch, guard her!" Maria yelled as she charged off to try and help the Frenchman, only to find his throat being held in the Butcher hand, his blade in the other. Maria stopped in her tracks, this was…dangerous. If she made the wrong move, Rick or the Butcher, whatever he was, could kill Francois.

"What is it noble boy? Why are you here?" The Butcher said, making Francois's eyes widen in confusion, "Is it to prove something? That you're not a coward? That you're different than all the rest? That you're not your fathers' son?"

Francois's eyes widened ever more at that, The Butcher smiled at that, he was getting somewhere.

"I know what your father has done, what he is; do you think you're different? That you're capable of changing who you are?" The Butcher whispered, Francois eyes hardened, "That's good, you're different, but…still weak."

The psychopath slammed the teen into the dirt, enough to stun him, and turned to Maria.

"It's time we talked, Maria Gaia." The Butcher said as he approached.

"You think your mind games going to work on me," Maria said with a grin, "You're wrong."

"Good, I was hoping to get the chance to GUT you!" Butcher yelled as he ran in, locking blades again. Maria was pushed back, and kept at a defensive. Maria had just fought Rick before, but this…was something else. This…Butcher didn't hold back, he came from every angle. His attacks were enough to hurt her through her shield, even his eye…by dust his eyes. They looked more akin to a demon than a man; they glowed with a rage that she never thought she could see in Rick. Her…former friend was so dangerous right now, she couldn't let up for a second.

Maria tried to attack, only for the Butcher to dodge, this time…he grabber her by the shoulder and pulled her towards him. The centurion was knocked off balance due to the weight of her shield, and the Butcher had her by the scruff of her neck.

"So, here we are anything you wish to say to me?" The Butcher asked, his voice full of malice.

"Why?" Maria gasped out, her shock fading.

"Why? Why?! You know why!" The Butcher yelled right in her face, "You went after my friend! And for what?"

"She's a traitor…" Maria tried to gasp out, only for the Butcher to cut her off.

"No, that's not why you did it, we both know why you did it," The Butcher said, leaning into match his eyes with hers, "You fear me, you fear that I can beat you, the great Maria Gaia can be beaten by low town hick."

Maria's eyes widened, _No, that couldn't be._

"You're afraid because you know that I could beat you, that I could _kill_ you," The Butcher said, leaning back, "You couldn't have that, but you couldn't go after me. So you went after Micca, you went after another of your friends because of me. I though you were me and Rick's friend."

Maria eyes widened, yes, she had thought of Rick as a friend, but…oh dust, what had she done? The Butcher let her sink to the floor, she was done. Maria's mind was racing, she wanted nothing more than, at that point, to have her and Rick be friends again, to have never done this act.

"You're next…" The Butcher said, pointing at Thatch. The pirate drew his blades, he had heard the speech, and, while he knew it to be true, he sure as hell wasn't going to let this…monster get in his way. The Butcher charged, Thatch blocked the single strike, the clash of steel drew the attention of Francois and Maria, who were shocked at what happened next. The Butcher leaped away, Thatch pointed his cutlass in the challenging manner, only for the Butcher to run and seemingly accidentally impale himself.

All of the eyes widened in shock, Francois and Allison's at the sight of seeing a friend impaled right in front of them, Maria at that thought of never being able to apologize, and Thatch at the thought of killing one of his friends. They had only seen this kind of savagery from a Grimm, The Butchers head drooped down. Thatch stuttered, only for the Butcher head to snap up and for him to grab the pirate by the collar and head butt him. Everyone's eyes widened as the Butcher pulled the blade from his chest, they watched as the wound healed with Aura.

 _He let himself be wounded…_ Allison thought, _that's…insane, even for him._

"That's all I wanted to show you," The Butcher said as he leaned down next to Allison, "I wanted you to hear, to see, what I can do, you want to know why I'm not killing you?"

Allison nodded, her fear was showing.

"Me and Rick like you guys far too much to kill you." The Butcher said, right before he slammed the blunt side of the ax into his forehead, knocking him out cold. Team EMAD all looked around in shock…

 **Later, in the infirmary…**

Rick woke up with a surprising face by his side; he turned to see that Allison was next to his bed.

"The fuck?" Rick asked, grabbing his head, "Why does my head hurt like a bad hangover?"

"I think you already know the answer to that." Allison stated simply, making Rick fall back into his pillow.

"So I do," He said simply, before he turned to see Maria and Thatch talking in the doorway, "They talking about me?"

"Maria is ashamed of herself," Allison said, sitting on Rick's bed, "she did what she did without her knowledge, after you brought it up…"

"I know, I remember," Rick muttered, "It's like…watching it through a screen, no control unless I need to."

"Rick, what was that?" Allison asked suddenly, making Rick turn his head in shame.

"It's…complicated," Rick said, making a fist, "It's all my rage concentrated in its purest form."

"It's…the monster inside us all…" Allison said suddenly, making Rick perk up.

"Yeah, that's the philosophical way of looking at it, we all have that breaking point, mine just happens to release the dark side of me, the berserk side. The Butcher of evil." Rick said, Allison suddenly took his hand.

"Rick, please don't hold what Maria did against her…" Allison would have gone on, but Rick cut her off.

"She's not evil, not even in my book; the Butcher has no intention of harming her. She's safe, so is the rest of EMAD." Rick said, releasing her hand. That's when Thatch walked in, stretching his arms.

"How's she doing?" Allison asked.

"She's not hurt in a physical sense, she's…being Maria." Thatch said, sitting down in a nearby chair.

"Is she OK?" Rick asked, his voice full of concern.

"She's…ashamed," Thatch replied back, "She's never had someone do something like this to her, call her out on something, of this magnitude."

"Oh," Rick muttered, "so, she going to talk to me ever again?"

"Give her some time, if she doesn't…well, then you should probably talk to her, initiate the conversation. You'll know right quick if she's good or not." Thatch said, his voice tired.

"OK, hey, tell Francois I'm sorry about what I said, I didn't mean it," Rick as he started laughing, "Hey, and there is still some good new about this."

"What?" Allison asked back.

"Due to new transfers coming in, security is going to be much more tight than usual. The Axman is going to be…taking a break for a few weeks." Rick said with a wink, in the back of both Allison and Thatch's mind, they both wondered: Who is Rick really?


	8. Redemption pt 1

"Now, who can tell me about the start of the war?" Oobleck said as he zipped around the classroom, it had been a few days since the…incident and EMAD was still recovering in their own ways. Thatch and Francois did their best to downplay it, though the shock and anger was still radiating off of them, Allison focused on her studies, and Maria…she had barely said a word since that night.

"The War of the Hunters began after a group of hunters used their power to cover various misdeeds, most of which were illegal." Weiss answered, her voice dignified and crisp, she showed no signs of what had happened a few days ago.

"Exactly, the War of the Hunters, also known as the war of the Kingdoms, began twenty years ago after a team by the name of DRED abused their powers in a region of Vale known as Sidcoi, a farming town. Their actions lead to a group of Hunters, known now as the _Sannhat,_ to take violent action against the governments of the world," Oobleck said as he took a sip, "Now, who here can name some of the decisive battles of the war?"

"The battle of Endor," Pyrrha said after raising her hand, "The battle of Blood Gulch, and the Battle of Beacon."

"Ah, yes, the Battle of Beacon, just what I was hoping you would bring up; can anyone tell me why the rebels were able to get inside of Beacon?" Oobleck said, zipping around again.

"Wasn't it because Beacon was betrayed?" Yang asked, her face serious.

"Correct, does anyone know the hunter who helped the rebels get into Beacon?" Oobleck asked, Allison raised her hand.

"Wasn't the name Jesse Stampede?" Allison asked, noticing that a lot of heads turned, their faces twisted.

"You are correct, early in the war; Beacon was compromised by Jesse Stampede, an extremely controversial figure to the war." Oobleck said, getting a snort from Cardin.

"He was a traitor, plain and simple." The bully said, his voice angry.

"Was he?" Jaune suddenly jumped in, making a lot of faces turn, especially Pyrrhas.

"He almost caused the union to fail!" Weiss yelled back, her voice struggling to be steady.

"Did he? My father fought in the war, and he knew Jesse personally, he offered nothing but praise for him." Jaune said, his voice hard.

"Exactly," Oobleck said, defusing the situation, "Jesse was, and still is, an extremely controversial figure to the war, on one hand, he was certainly honorable and most people who know him personally have attested to his character, but does anyone know what incident that causes many to question his integrity?"

"The Shattered Remnants incident," Ruby perked up, attracting eyes to her, "Wasn't Jesse responsible for that?"

"Exactly, the generals of the kingdoms were meeting in a secret meeting, Jesse managed to infiltrate the facility and assassinate the lead general: General Tarkin. He set back the war effort years and managed to shake the faith of all the kingdoms, this incident could have lead to the end of the war, but can anyone tell me why it didn't?" Oobleck asked.

"Wasn't it because of the Silent Night weapon?" Blake answered, to which Oobleck ran over and looked her in the eye.

"Why, yes, yes it was, originally the weapon was meant for destruction but it was hijacked by a group of unknown assailants and the hunter team guarding it lost one of it's members," Oobleck said with a cautious look at Jaune, "But…the weapon was not handled properly once it was stolen, and went off inside the rebel base, killing the lead general Gilgamesh. Soon after, the plan for what the weapon was to be used for was released to the public by an unknown source. After the target, innocent civilians in every major city, became known, the rebellion ended with most of the rebels being released without charges."

Oobleck paused for some coffee, "Jesse disappeared, leaving many questions unanswered, but the war was in all senses of the word, ended. Its issues linger, however, many modern issues can be traced back to the war, and many groups have origins in the War of the Hunters, groups that include the White Fang…"

Oobleck was cut off by the bell, signifying the end of class, "Remember class, I expect a report by the end of the week on this topic."

The class started to disperse; Maria was the first to talk.

"I'm going to the gym." She said, walking away before anyone could object.

"She's still pissed." Francois said, his voice filled with concern.

"Yeah, hey, you want to hit up the clubs? Going to be an interesting night with the transfers coming." Thatch asked, making Francois's eyes light up.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer," Francois said before turning to Allison, "You want to come?"

"No, I'm fine," Allison said with a small smile, "I've got some studying to do, remember, stay sober for tonight, we've got a big one."

"Shit, forgot about that, Maria still up for it?" Thatch asked.

"She said yes this morning when I asked her, justice never sleeps, see ya later." Francois said with a nod as the two walked away. Allison smiled, she wanted to go, really, but she didn't do well in those locations.

"Hey, Allison!" Yang's voice came from behind her, making her jump.

"Wh-what?" Allison asked, her voice surprised.

"Me and the gang are going to meet the transfers, want to come?" Yang asked.

"Uh…" Allison stammered before Yang grabbed her, "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"OK…" Allison answered before being dragged off.

"Hey! Mind if we tag along?" Came a voice from the pairs left, they turned to see Ben and Richard standing there.

"Sure, the more the merrier!" Yang yelled as she started dragging Alison away…

 **At the Docks…**

"I'm telling you, the shop is just over here." Ben said as they rounded a corner, the pair had been talking to each other for a while, ignoring the conversation team RWBY was having about festival. Allison found it much more amusing.

"That's what you said an hour ago." Richard replied back, his annoyance showing. Allison had to admit, these two were a riot when they weren't in school. Her thoughts came to a halt when they came around the corner, all banter stopped as they looked at the carnage. A Dust shop window was busted out, and the section was all cornered off.

"Goddammnit! That was the shop." Ben muttered under his breath, making Richard punch him in the ribs.

"Shut up." The Monk said as the group approached the Dust shop.

"What happened here?" Ruby asked as they approached the two officers.

"Dust Robbery, second one this week, place is turning into a jungle." The first officers said.

"That's terrible." Yang said, her concern growing.

"They left all the money again." The second cop said.

"It don't make a lick of sense, who needs that much Dust?" The first cop asked out loud.

"I don't know man, you know what I mean?" The second cop asked again.

"You thinking White Fang?" The first officer asked.

"I'm thinking we don't get paid enough." The second officer asked.

"That's why I'm here," Came a voice from inside the shop, two sets of foot steps could be heard as they approached. Harry and Hawk walked outside, "Aren't you guys supposed to have my coffee?"

"Duh, right away detective Holmes." The two officers stuttered as the walked off towards the dock, completely away from any coffee shop.

"Dumbasses," Harry muttered under his breath before regarding RWBY and the rest, "Yang, how you doing?"

"Harry! I didn't expect to see you!" Yang said, grabbing the man in a huge hug.

"You're Harry?" Ruby piped in, making the man turn.

"You must be Ruby, Yang's told me a lot about you." Harry said as he escaped the hug.

"Yang's told me a lot about you, it's good to meet you!" Ruby said as she held out her hand, which Harry took, "So…what do you think?"

"I don't know, maybe the White Fang…" Harry started, before Weiss cut her off.

"The White Fang, what an awful bunch of degenerates." Weiss hissed, making Blake's eyes narrow.

"What's your problem?" Blake asked her voice narrow.

"My problem is that I don't care for the criminally insane!" Weiss yelled back.

"The White Fang are hardly a bunch of psychopaths, their just a group of misguided Faunas." Blake replied back.

"They want to wipe humanity off the face of the planet!" Weiss yelled back.

" _Very_ misguided Faunas, either way, it doesn't explain why they would rob a dust shop in the middle of downtown Vale." Blake replied back.

"Blake's got a point, besides, they never caught that Torchwick guy, and maybe it was him?" Ruby piped in again.

"That's what I was going to say." Harry muttered back.

"That doesn't change the fact that the White Fang are a bunch of scum, those Faunas only know how to lie, cheat, and steal." Weiss said back, not noticing the look that Blake gave her.

"That's not necessarily true…" Yang started before voices rang out from the dock.

"Hey stop that Faunas!" The dock workers yelled. The group directed their eyes to the carnage to see a blond monkey Faunas leaping off the ship.

"Idiots!" Harry yelled as one of the officers who was supposed to be getting him coffee tried to stop the teen, only to get a banana peel thrown in his face. Harry groaned as the officers fucked up again and the teen started to run, "For the love of…Hawk, make sure the kid doesn't hurt himself."

"On it." The sniper responded as he took off, leaving Harry to follow the teens. He rounded the corner and stopped, he looked at what appeared to be a short girl with orange hair. His eyes widened as he whirled back around the corner.

"No, no it can't be…" Harry said as he leaned over to see that it was in fact, what he saw. Harry shook his head and started to walk away. That's when he heard her name. "Penny, please no…"

 **Back down the alley…**

"Huh, she's fast." Ben said as he leaned against the wall, they had just met this new girl and him and Richard just decided to watch.

"She's odd, in a good way." Richard said as the girl grabbed Ruby and started ranting about being friends.

"Dust, she acts like she's never talked to someone before." Ben muttered as the scene played out before him, it went on until Weiss and Blake started arguing again.

"Why do you keep calling him a rapscallion?" Blake yelled.

"Actually, he does fit the definition, he did stow away on a ship," Richard muttered, earning a death glare from Blake, "I'm going to shut up now…"

 **Later, at the docks…**

All of EMAD had gathered at the docks, this was a big one…Maria was here supervising arms shipment, the White Fang had beefed up security. It was going to be a hard job; Maria was laying out the plan on a map. To her, this was a nice way to get her mind off Rick and to get back to doing what she did best, kicking ass.

"Francois, take up your sniper position here," Maria said as she pointed at a tower on said map, "You cover us as we enter through the roof, after that, and support us until we get you."

" _Oui."_ The French man replied, his face determined.

"Allison, we get in, you disable the lights and try to hit anyone that looks important, especially Mary, if you can get her, take her down. It's time for her to answer for her crimes." Maria ordered, to which Allison nodded.

"Thatch, you're with me on crowd control, there will be a lot more guards than normal, so be careful," Maria ordered yet again, "Francois, and do your thing."

"Remember, this is the best chance we have to stop Mary once and for all, we can't fail." Francois said, his semblance making everyone's eyes change to a golden hugh feel inspired.

"Damn, that stuff's good." Thatch said as the group readied itself, this was it…this could make or break the current underworld economy…

 **At the police station…**

"Shit!" Harry yelled as he slammed his fist on his desk, he was OK with being loud as most people were gone. He had spent the entire day looking for clues about this girl, and all he had was her name and looks. He had spent a good chunk of the day trying to contact his old friend in the Atlas military, currently; he was being treated like most people.

"Harry!" A voice came on over his scroll.

"What Hawk?" The detective almost yelled back, his voice hard.

"Hey, we've got a situation here, a White Fang prisoner in the parking lot. He's cuffed, but he's being a pain in the ass. Could you lend a hand?" Hawk asked through the scroll.

"Sure." Harry replied, he was annoyed and could use a break…

 **Back at warehouse…**

"I've got you covered, go on." Francois said through the mic, his eyes ever so carefully watching the area.

"Good, Allison, set on the skylight." Maria ordered, she was ready for some action.

 **In the police parking lot…**

"Harry, thanks for coming. This guys being an asshole." Hawk yelled as the detective entered.

"It was nothing," Harry said as he grabbed the guy, it was a dog Faunas that was fighting like hell to escape, "Where'd you pick this guy up?"

"The docks, he was trying to sell some drugs to some dealers," Hawk replied as he grabbed the other arm, "Didn't even flinch when we got him, probably high of his ass."

"Probably," Harry laughed, before taking a good look at the guy, that's…when he noticed something, this guy…didn't show any fear or regret for being captured, almost like…

Hawke yelped in surprise when Harry suddenly slammed the prisoner into a car.

"What's going on at the docks tonight?" Harry yelled into the guys face, the man didn't even flinch. Harry didn't have time for this, so he leaned in, and whispered something into the mans ear. Hawks eyebrows rose at this, but the man suddenly seemed very cooperative. Hawke shook this off, Harry had been around for at least twenty years, criminals learned to fear him.

"SHIT!" Harry yelled suddenly, his face going red with anger.

"What?" Hawk asked, suddenly concerned for his friend.

"I've got to go," Harry yelled as he started running towards his vehicle, a motorcycle, "Lock him up and stay here, I'll be back."

Hawk and the man could only stare as he drove off…

 **Back at the docks…**

"One…Two…" Maria almost finished when her scroll went off, her eyes widened as she remembered what Rick had told her when they first fought, but she relaxed as she saw that it was Harry. She picked it up, "Harry, what's going on?"

"Maria, get out of there, it's a trap!" Harry yelled on the other end, making Maria's eyes go wide. She turned to regard the rest of EMAD, only for the skylight to shatter…

 **At the sniper point…**

Francois saw the wide eyes of Maria and the skylight breaking, but before he had time to process this, he was grabbed and pulled back. A strong hand ripped his gun out of his hands, and he felt a hard blow on his head. All he saw after that was blackness.

 **Back at the roof…**

Maria could only watch in horror as Thatch and Allison fell, she ran over to the sides, only to see them surrounded by more of those soldiers in black. Two women stood behind the soldiers, one she knew quite well, the other she knew through hearsay. Mary Blud and Caroline Leon, and they had her team surrounded. That's when Mary looked up to see Maria, the woman smiled as she drew her pistol and fired.

Maria gasped as she dodged the bullet, only to see that more soldiers had come around. Their guns blazed as they fired shot after shot at her, the centurion narrowly dodging each one. She leaped off the edge of the warehouse, landing hard on her knees. Her Aura had taken most of the blow, but she still felt it. That's when she heard the laughter; she looked up to see two soldiers that aiming her weapons at her.

Maria…couldn't do anything, she couldn't bring her shield around to block the men, and she didn't have enough Auras to take the hits. She was well and truly beaten, that's when an engine could be heard. The three heads turned to see a motorcycle coming down the road, moreover, the man riding the motorcycle looked like a bat out of hell. He did a rather impressive half donut and pulled out his revolver.

The two shots rang out and both men went down.

"Maria, we've got to go!" Harry yelled, his voice carrying authority. The centurion could only nod as she climbed on; the detective revved the engine and took off. Away from the carnage, away from the rest of EMAD…

 **Back at the police station…**

The pair arrived, Maria looked dead, Harry looked angry. That's when Hawk came out.

"What happened?" The sniper asked, his voice filled with worry.

"Don't ask, where's the prisoner?" Harry asked, his voice full of rage.

"In the cells, Harry…did something happen? Should I call Beacon?" Hawk asked, this time showing a slight amount of fear.

"Not yet, give us a few…" Harry said as he led Maria out of the parking lot and into his office. Hawk sighed as he watched the pair; he knew that Harry had asked EMAD to help. He just hoped his friend had made the right choice.

 **In the office…**

"Fuck!" Maria yelled as she punched the wall, the full effect of what had just happened reaching her. Harry merely stood by and watched Maria keep punching the wall, the rage leaving her system.

"Are you done?" Harry asked, to which Maria nodded, "Good, sit down."

Maria sat down in a nearby chair, her face one of anger. Harry sighed as he reached into his desk and pulled out a bottle of whiskey along with two glasses, he poured two. He offered Maria one, which she took and downed it like a pro. She started hacking like no tomorrow.

"It'd pretty clear that you don't drink a lot," Harry said as he downed his, "and that's all your getting."

"What are we going to do?" Maria asked, her voice full of rage.

"Well…that's more of a question for you," Harry replied back, making Maria's face get hard, "Look, I've got some shit that needs clearing up, and it's more important right now…"

"My team isn't important!" Maria yelled as she got to her feet, grabbing the detective by the shoulders.

"I didn't say that, I just said that I'm working on something more important right now," Harry said, "If you didn't have another option, I'd be all over this right now."

"What do you mean?" Maria asked, letting him go.

"You know someone, someone who has been in this game before, someone who can get answers in a timely manner, a demon to crime…" Harry replied, his voice hard. Marias eyes widened as she grasped what he meant.

"No…I…I can't…" She stuttered out.

"You have too, Maria," Harry said as he pulled out a lit a smoke, "You need the Axman, you need Rick Grimmes."


	9. Redemption pt 2

Ricks scroll went off, waking the teen from his slumber, he groggily looked at the caller. His eyes widened as he read the name.

"Maria, what's up?" He groaned as he rubbed sleep from his eyes.

"Rick, I need your help." Maria said on the other end, her tone of voice made Rick leap out of bed.

"What's going on, whose hurt, how badly, who do I need to kill?" Rick said as he pulled on his pants, his voice showing no traces of his usual humor.

"Rick, the rest of EMAD has been…captured by the White Fang," Maria voice paused with pain, "I need your help to get them back."

"What happened?" Rick said, putting on a T-shirt with the name Iron Maiden on it.

"It was a trap, I only got away because Har…because an associate of mine helped." Maria replied.

"I'm on my way; get me a member of the White Fang to talk too and a thing of salt." Rick said as he walked out the door, his steps making hard sounds.

"Rick…" Maria started to say before Rick cut her off.

"Maria, don't worry, right now we need to focus on finding your team." Rick said with as much comfort as he could.

"I know…It's just…I'm sorry about Micca." Maria said her voice cracking.

"Maria, I forgave you a while back, I'm on my way," Rick said as he closed his scroll, the psycho walked past a fountain to see that Blake and some new blond guy were talking, "Blake!"

The cat faunas turned in shock, she tried to cover her ears as Rick approached.

"Don't bother, I already knew," Rick said as he got closer, "Sorry that I can't talk, I've got some shit to do."

The pair could only stare incredulity at him as he took off, his voice disturbed Blake…

 **Back at the police station…**

"He's on his way…" Maria muttered as she sat down on a couch.

"What did he say?" Harry said as he took another glass of whiskey.

"He said we need a White Fang member and some salt…" Maria said as she slumped harder into her chair.

"Got the White Fang, can probably borrow the salt from the mess hall, any thing else?" Harry asked.

"No, he didn't ask for anything else." Maria said, putting her face in her hands.

"It's not your fault, this trap was planned." Harry said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"But I lead them there, I lead them right into a trap, it's my fault." Maria muttered back, her voice small.

"No, it isn't," Harry said taking his hand off of her shoulder, "When a commander is given information, they have act on that information. You can't hold them at fault for wrong information."

"But…" Maria tried to say before he cut her off.

"No buts, now, you've got to focus on your team they need you now more than ever." Harry said, taking out and lighting a smoke. Maria gave the man a long look, before nodding and standing up.

"Thanks." She said as she started to head out the door.

"Where you going?" Harry asked.

"To meet Rick at the front entrance…" She said as she walked out.

 **A few minutes later…**

Rick stopped his motorcycle at the curb, his eyes scanned the police station, he was ready for anything.

"Rick!" Marias voice came from the entrance, Rick turned to see the centurion waiting for him.

"How long ago?" Rick said as he got off of his bike and walked into the police station.

"A few hours ago," Maria said with a slight amount of shame, "I…"

"You were in shock, it's all right." Rick said as he entered the building, following Maria to Harry.

"Rick Grimmes, graduate of Revelations weapons academy, current Beacon attendant and violent vigilante," Harry said as he took a drag of his cigarette, and stuck out his hand, "A pleasure."

"Pleasure to meet you Mr…" Rick asked, his eyes narrow.

"Names Harry Holmes, I'm team EMAD's informant and pickup guy." Harry replied, waving off Maria's wide eyes.

"Knew they had someone on the force," Rick said with a grin, "had to too not get busted."

"Quite, we have everything set up on this end, what do you intend to do?" Harry asked, his voice filled with anticipation.

"I intend to have a civilized chat, and I'm personally feeling mighty uncivilized." Rick said as he started off towards the cells with Maria by his side. They didn't notice the hawk eyes that followed them.

"Sure it's a good idea to let them in?' Hawk asked, turning to see that Harry was looking over a completely different case file.

"Rick's got this, but now…now I've got to get back to my work." Harry said in such a tone that not even Hawk questioned it.

 **At the interrogation…**

"Salt, good as any," Rick said as he carried a package of it, they had stopped by the mess hall without any words and had reached the cells, "cheap as hell though."

"Rick, as much as it scares me to ask, what do you intend to do with that?" Maria asked, slight concern on her face.

"You'll see," Rick said as they arrived at the room, "You get in the other side, I'll handle this."

Maria nodded and started towards the room, but Rick suddenly grabbed her arm.

"Maria, I need you to know something before we do this," He said, his voice full of sorrow, "what you see, what I do…you need to know that is not who I am, but what I need to be, alright?"

Maria bit her lip but nodded all the same, Rick let go of her arm and she got into the observatory room. She sat down and watched, whatever had been affecting the White Fang member had worn off, and it was clear that he was feeling a little it of fear. That was when the lights in the cell went out; Maria was quick to let out a small gasp before they came back on. Rick had gotten in the room somehow; he wore his Axman mask and had his weapon in his hand.

The faunas quickly yelped as he was seized by the throat, the Axman threw him to the wall.

"Where are they?" Rick said, his voice modulator doing its work.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" The faunas tried to stutter but Rick punched in the gut.

"Yes you do, the team of Hunters, grabbed a few hours ago. You already told the detective that you knew where they are?" The Axman screamed, the White Fang member quacking in his boots at the voice.

"H-help me!" The faunas yelled before Rick punched him twice in the face, breaking his nose and busting his lip.

"Help you? You think that someone's going to help you!" Rick yelled before he threw the man into the two way mirror, making Maria jump back. The man couldn't even yelp before The Axman grabbed him and slammed him into the window thrice.

"Beg! Beg to them!" The Axman yelled, snapping Maria to his face, "They won't listen, they're not there, it's just you and me!"

Rick threw the guy back into his chair, grabbing the package of salt as he went. The man eyes widened as Rick took a handful out, Marias eyes widened as she realized what he was about to do, the thug screamed as Rick shoved his hand into the other guy's mouth, forcing the salt into the lips. The man moaned in pain, Maria averted her eyes as she heard him scream as Rick did something else to him.

She realized why Rick had told her what he did, if she hadn't been told, she would have thought him a monster. Her eyes returned to see that the man was in the corner sobbing and the Axman walking out of the room. She ran to the door, waiting while he opened it, the teen walked out with blood all over his hands and mask. Maria couldn't avert her eyes, all that blood…she had never seen something so brutal.

"Maria," Rick said as he closed the door, "Remember, I did what I had to do."

"I…I understand," Maria whispered, her strong exterior dropped for a few moments, "That…isn't you; tell me…if we didn't have a limited time…would you have done the same?"

"No, I just know what happens when bad people get their hands of good people." Rick muttered as he started walking away, with Maria trailing behind him.

"What did he say?" Maria asked suddenly, her eyes hard as usual again.

"Apparently, the operation was set up by Mary Blud, go figure, they're being held at a warehouse not to far from where you got hit." Rick replied, only to grab Maria as she started walking faster.

"What are you doing, we've got to go!" Maria said as she ripped her shoulder away from his grip.

"Not yet," Rick said with authority, "He also mentioned what kind of security they have, Maria, it's crawling with White Fang. Not just the normal riff-raff, some very dangerous characters."

"Like what?!" Maria yelled right in his face.

"The Caroleans, and their leader who is unknown to me is their. The poor bastard didn't know her name; on top of that, they have some of Mary's elite guards: Khornes Hounds." Rick yelled right back, his eyes raging.

"So what? Do we just wait?" Maria yelled back.

"Yes!," Rick yelled, making Maria stop dead in her tracks, "That guy told me of something, a rather large shipment of Dust is coming in, huge, and the White Fang intend to jack it. They'll be sending a lot of men to secure it, that leaves the Hounds and the Caroleans."

"What are you suggesting?" Maria, her voice hard.

"We wait, we hit them when they're weak, we grab EMAD and we get out." Rick answered. As much as Maria wanted to comment, she didn't have a better idea.

"Alright, we wait…" Maria replied back…

 **Two days later…**

Harry was scouring the streets; he was looking to confirm if what he had seen was true, what he didn't expect was to run into Yang and Weiss.

"Yang, you know, we have to stop meeting like this, people might start talking," Harry said with a grin, a little bit happy to have something to take his mind off things. His smile fell when he saw their faces, "Shit, what happened?"

Yang started to talk but Weiss cut her off.

"Blake admitted to being part of the White Fang." Weiss said as she crossed her arms.

"OK, so did she actually say something or are you just stereotyping because she's a faunas?" Harry said as he lit a smoke.

"Wait, you knew?" Yang asked, her and Weiss's surprise showing.

"Dust, are you guys that dense? You never noticed that her bow twitched a lot?" Harry asked, this time taking a drag.

"Yeah, we figured that out a while ago…" Yang said with a certain amount of shame.

"So…she's missing?" The Detective asked, his voice filling with concern.

"Not missing, she ran away, probably to join back up with those criminals." Weiss muttered, her voice showing a very faint sign of hesitation that only a person who had been on this kind of job for a while could pick up.

"Well…I'll keep an eye out, see you." Harry said, abruptly ending the conversation and walking off, leaving the pair slightly dumbfounded at his behavior. The detective walked away, leaving a trail of smoke behind him. His mind was racing, why did have to happen know? First Penny, then EMAD, now Blake, fate loved to take shits on him didn't it? Harry almost didn't see who was in front of him until he passed them, eyes widened at the sight.

"Well, either lucks being my lady tonight, or she's being a worthless whore, how about it Blake?" Harry said as he stopped in front of the faunas and her new friend, a monkey faunas.

"Harry!" Blake exclaimed, her voice full of surprise.

"So, just happened to get off of a talk with your partner and teammate, both seemed to be looking for you, seem to have the idea that you're a White Fang?" Harry said as he took a drag, Blake's face became all too readable, a mixture of anger and fear crossed it, but the emotion that was the greatest, was shame.

"Hey, you might want to back off…" The blond monkey faunas said approaching from the side, only to have Harry, with speed that neither of them could track, put his revolver in his face.

"You better think of your next words very carefully boy, don't want to waste time cleaning your blood off of me." Harry said without a hint of joking.

"Sorry…sir!" The Faunas yelped, the gun doing its job.

"Blake, I need to ask you, what's going on?" Harry asked suddenly, making Blake turn her head.

"It's nothing; just…need to prove something." The cat faunas muttered.

"Like what? You know what? I don't care, just tell me how you're gonna prove it." Harry said, taking his gun out of the faunas's face.

"I'm…going to the docks," Blake answered, deciding that it was probably not a good idea to lie, "I need to prove that the White Fang aren't behind these attacks."

"The docks, big freighter coming in right?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowing, Blake nodded her head, "OK, prove whatever you need to prove, just remember, your team does care…"

With that, Harry left the two to wander the streets…

 **At a random warehouse, overlooking another…**

Rick yawned as he leaned back onto a wall; he and Maria had just gotten here and were taking shifts watching the base. Maria was sitting on a sheet, Rick had insisted, and was looking at her weapons. She was currently cleaning out the barrel of her minigun; she had already sharpened her blades.

"Hey, Maria," Rick's voice pulled her out of her stupor, "Have you slept?"

"What?" Maria said as she turned to stare at the psychopath.

"It's just that it seems like you haven't slept since EMAD got taken." Rick said, getting off of his wall.

"I can't sleep knowing that the rest of my team is in danger." Maria replied back, her face narrowing.

"Bullshit," Rick said, his voice serious and carrying authority, "You need to sleep, go on, I'll wake you up if something happens."

"Are you giving me orders?" Maria asked, her voice carrying a hint of amusement.

"Yep, think about it," Rick said, sitting down next to the centurion, "You need to be at your best to rescue your team, that includes being well rested."

Maria's mouth fell open, here she was, thinking about rescuing her team and a brutal psychopathic vigilante was able to give her simple facts. The irony of this actually made her laugh.

"What's so funny?" Rick asked, his face splitting in a grin.

"Nothing, I'll get right on that." Maria laughed out, lying down on the mat. She didn't realize how tired she was, she fell asleep almost as soon as she put her head down.

 **Back to Harry…**

The detective was pressed against a wall, he had just seen Ruby walking with that girl, he had overheard that she was looking for Blake. He smiled, so all he had to do was keep an eye on Blake, and she might lead him to some answers.

 **A few hours later…**

Maria eyes shot open, she looked around to see that it was dusk; she had slept for a good chunk of the day. She yawned quietly, only to pause as she heard a voice…singing? In bass?

 _Well I won't back down_

 _Won't be, turned around_

Maria's eyes followed her ears as she turned to see a figure not to far away; he was cleaning a double barrel shotgun.

 _You can stand me up at the gates of hell_

 _But I won't back down_

She rose, only to pause when she realized that she had something on top of her, she looked to see that she had a trench coat on her. She recognized it as Ricks; she had seen him pack it. She got up and approached the singer.

 _No, I'll stand my ground, won't be, turned around_

 _And I'll keep this world from dragging me down_

She got closer to see that it was…Rick, Rick was singing and he sounded…decent. Her mouth hung slightly open, in all of her days, she would have never thought of this…

 _Gonna stand my ground and I won't back down…_

Rick finished as he stretched, pausing as her heard a small gasp. He turned to see Maria staring at him.

"Oh, you heard that?" Rick said with a grin.

"Rick? What was that?" Maria said as she started to laugh.

"Hey, I wasn't that bad, was I?" Rick asked.

"No, it's just…I never imagined you as a singer." Maria said, trying not to laugh harder.

"Why does everyone get so shocked when I do that? Seriously, me and my team…" Rick cut himself off at that, his eyes filling with sadness. Maria noticed that and her face became serious.

"Rick…I never asked, but…do you mind telling me what happened to your team?" Maria asked after a few seconds of hesitation.

"Alright, if we're going to be friends, might as well," Rick said as he took a deep breath, "It was last year; you know that Micca was once part of the White Fang, she escaped. The White Fang didn't appreciate that, they hired assassins to kill her. They ambushed EMBR and my team ROSA while we were shopping for some supplies."

Rick took a gulp.

"They…didn't care about collateral, the assassins didn't play by any rules, they opened fired. Twenty-four people died in that shop, three of those…were my teammates. Alex, Owen, and Shaun all died. Alex and Owen, the youngest, died first; they were shot dead as they were finishing up their orders. Shaun…he was a wolf faunas, loyal to the end; he dove in front of a group of civilians. He saved them, but was mortally wounded in turn."

Maria noticed the tears forming in Ricks eyes.

"He didn't die, not right away. He was bleeding out, but he was too strong to pass out. He begged to end it, so…I did, I grabbed this gun," Rick said as he pulled out his pistol, "and I shot him, put him out of his misery."

Rick was actually sobbing at this point; Maria started to see something else that she never thought before. She had always seen Rick as a rival, an antagonistic friend, but…she had never seen him as a…human before these last few days. She had always wanted to beat him, but she never actually got to know him. This side of Rick, this side of pain and emotion, she never thought of before.

Maria put her hand on his shoulder and Rick grabbed it.

"You know the best part?" Rick said with a voice of greater sadness, "His last words to me were 'Rick, you're not a bad person."

As he said that, his sobs became even louder. Maria looked at the psychopath with pity, all of this time…and she never thought that he could be hiding this much pain. Then, before she knew it, she had Rick in a hug. She felt the tears fade into her shirt, but she didn't care. All she knew was that her…friend needed her at this moment. Rick broke off shortly after.

"Sorry," Rick said, wiping off his eyes, "It's just…it's still hard. I know what you're going through right now, that's why I did what I did. I would rather spare anyone this pain."

"On the bright side, at least my sister wasn't with me that day." Rick said with a grin.

"You have a sister?" Maria asked suddenly, her voice showing a little more interest than she meant to.

"Yeah, though we couldn't be any farther apart on the terms of love and life…" Rick said with a laugh, "Honestly, happy that that bitch quit being a hunter, she would have been horrible."

"Why?" Maria asked, a small grin forming on her face, though this one was out of relief.

"Because, she hated people, she hated anyone who wasn't as smart as she was. Did real well until someone got fed up with her shit," Rick answered back, his face splitting into even more of a grin, "She got ticked off at a student and tried to show him up and make him look bad, only thing was…that student was smarter than she gave him credit for. After she was revealed, she quit school and went back to business."

"Who was the student?" Maria asked, her face also a grin.

"Richard Necro, as in that mustached bastard who kicked Francois's ass." Rick laughed out, Maria along with him.

"Sounds a lot like my sister," Maria laughed out, "She's a pain in the ass as well."

"You've got one? What's her name?" Rick asked, a little bit of fear coming into his voice.

"Julia, she's a captain in Atlas." Maria answered a strange tone of voice.

"Huh, well, that's good," Rick replied, before seeing Maria's confused face, "Let me explain, Atlas, while not without its share of faults, is still an honorable way of putting food on the table. Better than Mary, that bitch is just going to spend her life conning dumb assholes out of their money."

"You know, I hate you sometimes, making me think about things in a new light." Maria laughed out.

"Yep," Rick said right before an engine started up, he turned to see a few airships had started up, "Well, we've talked the night away, ready?"

Maria nodded as she pulled on her armor, her face growing serious. She walked next to Rick who had put on his mask; he quickly pulled out a pair of binoculars and looked around. He spied that most of the soldiers had left, leaving just the Caroleans and the mercenaries.

"Maria, here the plan, I'm going to create a distraction, when you see my signal, you get in and grab EMAD and bust out. You send me a signal flare when you're ready to go, I'll meet up with you eventually." Rick said with a simple nod.

"What's the signal?" Maria asked as Rick got on the ledge.

"Trust me; you'll know it when you see it." The psycho said as she leapt from the roof, leaving Maria by her lonesome…

 **At the Docks…**

Harry was walking along the edge of the docks, waiting for Blake and her new friend to show up, he had figured out their intent a while ago and had arrived moments ago. He needed some answers about this Penny, and since a direct confrontation was unlikely to end well, he needed more info. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a bullhead coming over him; he quickly dove behind some crates to hide, quickly putting out his smoke.

His eyes watched as the bullhead landed and the men came out, White Fang, as he suspected. The detective could only wait as the men started to load the Dust, only to stare in shock as Roman Torchwick came out of the ship.

"Shit." Harry muttered, his informants had informed him of the supposed partner ship, but he had hoped that it was false. His thoughts returned as Blake landed on the dock and tried to talk with the Fang, his earlier words came across his lips again as a fight broke out when more airships came out of the sky. He suddenly dove to avoid a group of Fang that hand leaped out of one of the ships, landing where he had just been.

"You know, I don't enjoy killing, especially when its younger folk," Harry said as the group of eight pointed their weapons at him, "But…sometimes you do what you've got to do."

The group didn't even have a chance to fire before two revolvers came into Harry's hands and put eight bullets out, killing all of the men. He turned to see that Blake and her friend were currently fighting Torchwick in hand to hand.

"Fuck," Harry said as he started running towards the trio, slowing down when he heard a voice on a rooftop nearby, he turned to see that Ruby was on said rooftop, only to be almost shot by Torchwick, "Fuck!"

Torchwick turned around to walk away, not pausing at the footsteps behind him, but when that voice spoke, Torchwick was suddenly very happy to have not drunk any liquids that day, for if he had, they would be on the floor right now. Even he feared that voice.

"Leaving so soon, Torchwick?" Harry asked, Torchwick turned around, and without ceremony, tried to shoot the detective. Harry dodged to the left and ran in with a right hook; Torchwick dodged and tried to hit Harry with his can. Only for it to be stopped by a metallic clang, Harry had drawn one of his revolvers and stopped the cane cold. This dance went on for a while, only to be stopped by a green glow.

Harry turned to see the source, only for Torchwick to blast him. The blast knocked him back and allowed Torchwick enough time to escape, but at that point, Harry couldn't care less. His eyes were transfixed by the girl, her orange hair glowing in the fires.

"You did it, you bastard, you really did it." Harry said to no one, his face one of happiness and rage. He turned to see Torchwick escaping, he tried to fire his gun, but it was far too late. The criminal had escaped but Harry had already found what he was looking for today, he checked his watch suddenly. His eyes widened, he had an appointment to keep tonight and with a quick glance around, he walked away…

 **Back at the warehouse…**

Maria had to admit it, Rick was right to say she would know the signal. That huge explosion that ripped the doors off the building was impressive to say the least, and it was a great distraction. She smiled as she snuck in through a skylight, taking a glance to see that Rick was a blur. The White Fang were in utter confusion, and the smoke that was filling out didn't help. She thought this as she ran into an elevator and went down…

Rick was having a good time, with the fire around him, the screams of chaos, and the thrill of the fight kept him energized. He was holding back, Maria had made him swear for that before he started, so he was slightly annoyed at how long it took to take on someone, but all in all, it was a good time. That was before his knife was shot out of his hands with a huge _bang!_

He whirled around to see a rather tall and wiry individual snarling at him, her blue trench coat and black hat making her look especially intimidating. Rick knew who this was, he had only heard stories but he knew her reputation enough, this was Caroline Leon, the commander of the Caroleans. He smiled; this was going to be fun…


	10. Redemption pt 3

**Note, for those of whom are following this story this is part of a two part upload, if you haven't read pt two, turn back now…**

 **At the basement…**

Maria had to be as quiet as she could, there were still a lot of soldiers guarding this level and she didn't have enough firepower to take them all. Her eyes looked around every corner, her ears listened for the slightest change of tempo, and she had to find her teammates before something happened to Rick…

 **At the warehouse floor…**

Rick was in trouble, he was currently running along the upper level of the warehouse with Caroline right behind him. He clutched his side, she had gotten a good shot in at some point, and he was feeling the pain. He clutched his axe closely, he knew that he would have to stop eventually; he just hoped that Maria would find her team before then.

 **At the Last Stop…**

Aedan had just finished polishing the last of his beer mugs, he looked at the time as he finished.

"Might as well," The bartender muttered as he got to his feet, grabbing a katana that was hidden behind the bar, "Sally! Going out!"

"Be careful," came the voice of a young woman, "Don't burn down the city!"

"I won't!" Aedan laughed as he headed out the door.

 **Back at the warehouse basement…**

Maria was still skulking around, she had overheard one of the guards mentioning a location of prisoner and where their weapons were being kept. She went to the latter place first, it had no guards around it. Maria frowned at this, either it was a trap or they were just that arrogant. Both were distinct possibilities, either way, she grabbed the weapons. She stopped for a moment; looking around…no one came.

 _Arrogance it is then,_ She thought as she took of down a hallway, hoping Rick could last a little longer.

 **At the first floor…**

"Fuck!" Rick yelled, he had just reached a dead end and Caroline was coming up behind him.

"You know, it's impressive that you made it this far with that wound, most people can't survive after being shot by my rifle," Caroline said with the grin of a hunter whose cornered her prey, "You've done well, for a human."

"Well fuck you too," Rick muttered as he took up a defensive stance, "Sure as hell ain't going down with out a fight."

"That's what I hoped you'd say." Caroline said her battle lust growing as she charged. Rick did a back flip over her, landing and swinging his axe at her legs. The faunas jumped over his attack, the blade sailing harmlessly under her. She then performed a kick to his face, knocking him back. Rick grunted in pain as he slammed into the railing, his eyes came up just in time to dodge a shot from the huge rifle she packed.

He sighed; he hoped that Maria was doing better than he was…

 **At the basement…**

Maria was still sneaking around, the fight upstairs had finally reached a point where the guards had started to wonder what was going on and most had gone up, leaving the teen to her lonesome. She navigated the dark corridors like a snake, she didn't know what was left but she didn't want to piss of anything here. She looked down a corridor to see a set of makeshift cells aligning the wall, she quietly moved closer to spy in.

She smiled, she had found them, she had found EMAD, she quickly bashed down the door to the first one. The occupants muttered a few choice curse words, their faces coming into the light. The shock on EMAD's face was almost laughable, especially Thatch's.

"What the hell are you doing her?" He asked, his voice filled with worry.

"Here to save your asses, come on lets go!" Maria yelled, throwing them their weapons.

"How did you get in her? More than, how did you find us?" Allison asked as she grabbed her weapons.

"Rick, he helped me track you down." Maria answered, looking over her shoulder.

"After what you did? Guy's a lot better than me…" Thatch muttered, geared up and ready to go.

"Be quiet! Not all the guards are gone." Maria whispered harshly.

"Wait, you mean that you didn't take down the hounds!?" Francois asked suddenly, his face growing fearful.

"No, I didn't see them, I think they went upstairs." Maria said, right before she heard the footsteps behind her.

"If only it was that simple," Mary Blud's voice rang out behind her, Maria whirled around to see her teeth shining, "You see, I knew you would come, I knew that you would do anything to rescue your team. Now, we get to kill two birds with one stone, it's good that you brought the Axman with you. We've been hunting him for a while."

As she finished two men came out of the shadows, their red armor very clear in the light. Maria's face paled, Khornes hounds.

"Blood for the Blood God." One of them muttered as they closed in.

 **Meanwhile…**

Rick was currently locked in combat with Caroline, her attacks didn't let up. The only thing keeping him from being skewered or shot was his axe, every time she tried to shot him, he just hit the weapon and sent the bullet away. They locked weapons again, her eyes lined up with his eye holes.

"You fight well, I can give you that," The commander said, her voice full of victory, Rick responded with a sharp kick that sent them flying back. Caroline felt her lip, the kick had surprised her. She smiled, while she may hate humans, this one fought with the same conviction as her, "Surrender now, and I can assure you that you will be given quarter."

Her victory was cut off by the Axman suddenly bursting out laughing; he laugh carried and made the people downstairs think he was mad.

"You think you've got it all figured out don't you? You know, you got so caught up with fighting me that you didn't take care. Your guns empty…" Rick said, his laugh getting louder, Caroline frowned and pulled the trigger, only to see that it was empty.

"You're still wounded, you don't have a choice." Caroline said, her face becoming a snarl.

"Why does everyone assume that if you're bleeding, that your aura's spent?" The psycho laughed, "What? Dog got your tongue?"

Caroline snarled harder as the wound closed up right before her eyes, she couldn't believe that he would risk something like that.

"So here we are, standing on a railing, the question is, can you reload before I get to you?" Rick said, charging again. Caroline quickly switched magazines, and she tried to aim, only for Rick to grapple her off the balcony. They both fell, biting and scratching on their way down, until Rick managed to slam her into the ground. The men on the ground didn't know what to do, they're commander was in a pile on the ground. At least, that's what they thought. This time, Caroline's laugher filled the area.

"You think that's enough to beat me?" She said as she climbed to her feet, "Clever for you to take down my aura like that, but it doesn't matter now. Now, you're surrounded by my men, surrender."

Rick whirled around, only to see that he was indeed surrounded, if they could see his face it would be one of sheer disappointment. He had lost…he had failed, he turned to face Caroline. At least she wasn't a full blood thirsty killer…

That's when a slow clap filled the air, all faces turned to see a particular red haired man walking in.

"Good show, lass," Aedan said as he walked in, "Axman, go find EMAD, I'll clean up here."

Rick nodded and started to take off; the men around him took aim, only for Caroline to hold up her hand.

"Hold fire," She said as Rick got away, "You…You're Aedan Flint, aren't you?"

"Aye lass, and you're Caroline Leon, you have your fathers' eyes." Aedan said as he took a swig of something.

"My father told me about you…you fought by his side in the war." Caroline said, her face growing worried.

"Aye, though I don't think he would agree with your choice of…work." Aedan said, finding a way to put it delicately.

"He was murdered, and no justice was served!" The commander suddenly yelled, her voice cracking with rage.

"Was he now? Last I checked, he wasn't the only dead body on that train." Aedan said, his voice serious.

"He was the only one who was executed, a shot to the head, after being shot in the leg." Caroline replied, her voice dripping with venom.

"Aye, guess that's true," Aedan said with a sigh, he could see that he wasn't going anywhere with this, "So…shall we then?"

"Fire!" One of the captains yelled as Aedan quickly drew his hands across his chest.

"No wait!" Caroline yelled, she knew what he was doing and she knew that it wasn't good. Aedan's hands suddenly grew flames, and soon he was covered in them. The bullets didn't even have time to hurt him through the aura fuelled fire; it was like hitting a solid wall. The fell to his feet, melted and useless, and Aedan wasn't done yet. His hands moved again and the fire leaped from his body and around the men.

They, seeing a serpent like thing of fire, panicked and fired at the beast. The bullets had not effect as it surrounded them, Caroline yelled as it seemed to incinerate them. Only for it to disappear and leave her men knocked the hell out.

"Good men, willing to risk reprimendation to save their commander," Aedan said as he drew his katana, "Shall we?"

 **Back at the basement…**

Maria was running with the rest of EMAD at her side, the two hounds behind her. The men were scary enough without a fight, but they proved to be immune to Thatch's semblance and his attacks. After a hard hit that sent him flying, they decided it was probably better to run. The halls soon became a labyrinth; they seemed to be trapping them with these…monsters.

Maria was trying her hardest to stay focused, but her thoughts kept returning to Rick. It had been too long since she had come down here, if he was still here, he was risking a lot. As much as she hated to admit it, if anyone could survive those odds and come out fairly unscathed, it was Rick. These thoughts coursed through her as she finally saw an elevator door; they opened to reveal…a rather beaten down Rick.

"EMAD, how's the wife and kids?" Rick coughed out as he stepped out, almost making the leader of EMAD have a heart attack. That was when the door to the elevator suddenly powered down…

"Shit, probably should have seen that one coming." Thatch yelled, slamming his fist into the wall.

"We're stuck here, aren't we?" Francois asked, his voice one of denial.

"No," Rick gasped out, gaining everyone's attention, "There's another door at the other end of the hallway, I saw them before I came down, only problem was that White Fang were getting ready to come down."

"Well, shit…" Francois said, looking down at the floor.

"Why 'shit?" Rick asked, standing to his feet.

"Blood for the blood god!" Came the voice of one of the men who came charging down the hallway.

"Oh…" Rick said, suddenly rushing forward.

"Rick!" Maria yelled, only for the psychopath to cut her off.

"Get out of here! I'll be fine as long as they don't get their hands on me!" Rick yelled, only for the men to rush forward with a burst of speed and grab him. He didn't even have time to yell as he was punched in the gut, the men laughing in blood lust. Then they slammed him into the ground, leaving EMAD to gape and watch.

"What are you doing? Get…" Rick's angry yelled became a cry of pain as he was kicked, this time like a football into a door that, surprisingly, didn't break. He didn't look good, his armor was scratched and torn and his mask was completely busted up. His left eye was exposed and his brown hair was coming out of the things back. The eye looked crazed, almost animalistic. That was when the mercenaries charged and sent him through said door, the blow was resounding, the pair laughed as they turned to face EMAD.

"More blood…" One of them said in a deep hungry voice.

 _No…I can't die here,_ Rick thought as he tried to get up, _I can't lose…if I die then…Maria will feel the pain that I felt, if she survives. I won't…I CAN'T…LET…THAT…HAPPEN!_

The Butcher got to his feet, ignoring the pain as he looked around in the room he was in, his settled on a piece of hardware that seemed to be placed their by whatever deity governs this plain of existence.

The men advanced towards the team, who took up a defensive position. They were worried, and seeing their friend most likely die was a tad upsetting. Maria felt the pain the most, she had brought him here, if she hadn't been so stupid or careless then maybe…that's when a sound filled the air. The sound of revving, the sound made all heads turn.

EMAD saw the eye and knew instantly what had happened; the two men could only see a savagery on par with their own. The crazed eyes locked onto the men, and the Butcher roared as he charged in. The men only just drew their swords in time to block the chainsaw that the Butcher had found, team EMAD was well and truly flapped, and Thatch even started laughing.

"Blood for the Blood Go-…" One of the men tried to yell before the Butcher, after an impressive slight of hand, stabbed him with the chainsaw.

"I'll give you blood!" The Butcher screamed out, his voice one of pure joy, as he lifted the man into the air. The chainsaw ripped and the man was soon no more, that's when the other man grabbed Allison by her skull.

"Skulls for the skull throne…" He whispered as he started to squeeze, and, as suddenly as it started, the pressure disappeared. Allison dropped the ground and looked up, only to see Thatch holding a bloody cutlass.

"Allison, are you all right?" He asked as he leaned down to the girls head level, his voice one of shock.

"I'm…I'm fine…" Allison whispered, her voice one of concern. That was all that needed to be said, Thatch helped her to her feet and the team slowly walked away with the Butcher following close behind them.

 **At the warehouse…**

"Impressive fight," Aedan said as he stood over Caroline, "You honestly would be a great huntress if you tried."

The woman could only glare, they had been fighting for a good time now and he hadn't even broken a sweat. She almost yelled when an elevator door dinged, and she saw some of the leftover soldiers running away screaming in fear. That's when that…psychopath came around with a chainsaw revving, Caroline herself felt a little bit intimidated by all the blood. The chainsaw stopped suddenly, the Butcher looked at it, gave it a shake, and threw it down.

Caroline used that moment of distraction to start running; Aedan didn't even try to stop her. The rest of EMAD followed shortly, most being no worse for ware.

"Well, it's time for me to go," The Butcher said as he turned to look at Maria, "It's been fun, and I know we'll meet again. But before I go, I need to say something."

Maria gave him a hard stare.

"I like you, your strong and don't take shit, but…do us both a favor? Lighten up, trust me, life's a little easier with that kind of attitude." The Butcher said right before he slammed the blunt side of his ax into his head.

"Fuck!" Rick yelled as he rubbed his head, before turning to EMAD, "Everyone OK?"

"We're fine," Thatch replied, his voice showing that he didn't have any regrets, "Just a little banged up."

"Good, now then, to Beacon?" Rick said with a smile, EMAD smiled as well, they had gotten their friend back. Aedan laughed as he walked out the back door, he looked at his watch, and he had an appointment to keep. The teens walked out of the building with their heads held high, that's when Rick saw something.

"Maria!" Rick yelled as he suddenly hugged her, the centurion almost smacked him but that's when the gunshot rang out. She felt the impact through Rick, her eyes widened as she realized what had happened.

"Rick!" Maria yelled as the psychopath fell to the ground, the luxurious car driving off to avoid EMAD's wrath.

"Rick, Rick, can you hear me?" Maria yelled as she fell to her knees, "What was that? I had full aura, I could easily have taken that."

"I guess…I guess that I still want to be good." Rick muttered, the blood draining out of the wound.

"If we get him to Beacon, the infirmary can help him." Allison said, reaching to pick him up, that was the last thing Rick heard before being consumed by darkness…

 **At the infirmary, a few hours later…**

Rick groaned as he opened his eyes, only to be bear hugged by two people.

"Dust, still in pain!" Rick laughed out, only to be slightly puzzled by the sound of tears. He craned his neck to see that the people hugging him…was Micca and Maria, "Shit, did I make you worry?"

"You idiot," Micca muttered burying herself deeper into his chest, "You stupid, dumb, noble, fool."

"We thought you were…" Maria said, letting him go.

"I'm not, that's a good start. How the rest of the group doing?" Rick asked, his usual nature showing.

"Waiting, team RWBY got back with Blake a few hours ago, they're going to see you tomorrow, JNPR waited as long as they could but when the doctor said you'd be alright, they had to get Nora to bed, EMBR said to expect them to kick your ass whenever you're back on your feet, and EMAD…I stayed because I wanted to say…" Maria stuttered before Micca cut her off.

"She wanted to say that she's happy to see you," Micca said as she grabbed the centurion by the shoulder, we'll see you tomorrow."

"What was that?" Maria said when they were out of earshot.

"What? You're going to apologize?" Micca said with a grin, "Don't worry about it, Rick won't care…he did it because he cares about your well being, he would do if for any of his friends."

"Friends…" Maria said, her eyes starting to tear up, "Yeah…a friend is a good start."

 **At a warehouse…**

Caroline looked around, she had just arrived and was hoping she wasn't too late.

"So, how did it go?" Came a very familiar voice. Caroline turned around and smiled.

"Uncle Jesse, it's good to see you, it's been a long night." She said as she hugged the man, breaking off to allow him to light his cigarette. The flame illuminated his head for an instant, the face of Harry Holmes showed for a few seconds.

"It's good to see you too, Cub…."

 **At the Last Stop…**

"Come again Qrow!" Aedan yelled as the man walked out of his bar, it was finally time to close up shop, and he went under the counter to put up some glasses. That's when a man wearing a black formal suit came in, "We're closed."

"Not for me." The voice rang, the voice that made Aedans blood boil.

"The bloody hell are you doing here?" Aedan said as he got to his feet and stared into the mans mask.

"Here for a drink." The man replied simply.

"You're lucky you're a hunter, otherwise, you'd be dead for walking in my door, Erik Fantine." Aedan said as he stared deeply into the mans face.

 **At the Atlas Flagship…**

The answering machine beeped.

"This is Harry, I saw Penny, we need to talk, soon." The answering machine clicked off…


	11. The Good, The Bad, and The Rick

Harry leaned against the wall of the building across from a store named Tusken's Book trade, his hand holding a smoke as the windows went dark. He sighed, his eyes looking at the ground, he knew what was about to happen, but, in truth, he didn't care. He was just here to meet a…friend? Collogue? Harry shook his head; he needed to focus on the task at hand.

A faint shot could be heard, the sound barely perceivable above the hustle and bustle of the city. Harry brought his eyes up and saw the pair walk out of the shop, a Caucasian male and a female with brown skin, _bingo._

The detective walked around, knowing full well that he would cut them off. They didn't notice him as they passed his alley.

"Good hunting then?" Harry said, making the pair jump. They both turned around, the boy with irritation, the girl with surprise.

"Harry?" She asked, prompting a smile from the detective.

"It's good to see you Emerald." Harry said, holding out his hand.

"It's good to see you too!" Emerald replied, her face smiling.

"What did you mean, 'good hunting?" The boy asked, his face getting dark.

"Calm your tits, grey hair, I gave Caroline the tip." Harry replied, his answer making Emerald slightly confused.

"You're working with the White Fang?" The thief asked.

"No, working with Caroline, I don't give two shits about the White Fang, but she has honor, more than most of them can say." Harry answered back, his voice dark.

"So, you're the mole?" Mercury asked, making Harry laugh.

"I'm one of many, but I'm the only one who cares about civilians," Harry said, taking a drag before adding, "Unlike most of those bastards in charge, Caroline actually cares about innocents."

"There's the Harry I know…" Emerald laughed, she knew that Harry was too good a man to be doing something like this for greed, he wanted to protect civilians. She had to respect that at least.

"Anyway, I've got to go, got a meeting with some White Fang drug dealers, take care." Harry said as he walked away, his intent clear.

"What do you think?" Mercury asked.

"Caroline's feeding him info, just like Cinder said; we need to tell her this." Emerald replied back, the pair nodded and walked off.

 **At Beacon…**

"I swear to Dust, if you say that name again…" Richard yelled at Rick, who simply smiled.

"N7 Typhoon." Rick said, making Richard cry out. The rest of EMBR sat at the table, along side Thatch, all watching and laughing

"How? How did you get that out of a fucking character pack?!" Richard said, slamming his head into the table.

"What's going on?" Francois asked, just sitting down.

"Apparently, they were playing Mass Effect 3's multiplayer, and Rick got one of the rarest weapons through a pack that was supposed to give you more characters." Thatch said, watching the strange scene play out.

"Huh, interesting." The Frenchman muttered as he turned to his food. It had been a while since EMAD had been rescued by Rick and Maria, and things had gotten back to normal. At least, as normal as it could be when you had a deranged psychopath for a friend.

"Hey, you see Maria and Allison around?" Thatch asked suddenly, making the French man lean in and smile.

"Oh, you wanting to meet with your little girlfriend and our fearless leader?" Francois asked, making the pirate go red in the face.

"No…It's just that we haven't seen since this morning." Thatch said, his eyes looking around for anyone to have heard that.

"Last I saw, they were heading to the library." Francois replied, right before Rick got to his feet.

"Shit, sorry guys, I've got to go to the weapons shop." Rick said, starting to leave.

"Wait up!" Micca yelled, getting to her feet, "I needed to hit there as well, got to finish up my armor."

"I'd appreciate the company." Rick said as the pair started walking. As they left, EMAD heard a _splat._ They slowly turned to see Yang with a pie falling off of her face.

"Lucky…" Thatch muttered, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

 **At the library…**

"How's the research coming?" Allison asked, sitting down next to her fearless leader.

"Honestly, I can't find anything," Maria said, rubbing her eyes. They had been researching their new friend Aedan Flint, after seeing what he did to the White Fang, EMAD was curious about the bartender, "I can find his graduation records, he graduated with Ozpin, that's all I know."

"It's more than we started with, that's a good thing." Allison said with a small smile, the days since the rescue had been strange to say the least. After Rick healed up, he asked to join with EMAD on their escapades, EMAD had accepted. Partly out of respect for his skill, and partly because they were too afraid to let him run around on his lonesome.

"Yes, I guess that's right," Maria said, getting to her feet, "Hey, I need to hit the weapons shop, got to clean up _imperator._ "

Allison smiled at the excuse; she knew exactly why her fearless leader was going to the weapons shop. It had nothing to do with her weapon…

 **At the shop…**

"Hey, thanks for fixing it up." Rick said, putting on his black gauntlets, they felt good as new.

"No problem, it was just a simple patch job." Micca said, closing her armorer case.

"No, really, it means a lot to me that you keep patching my armor up." Rick said, grabbing her shoulder gently. Micca took the hand, her heart fluttering, she wanted to just burst out and tell him of her feelings. She had liked Rick for a while, ever since he stood up for her on her first day of school.

"Hey, Rick, you ready for tonight?" Maria's voice rung throughout the shop, the teen walking in on the scene, "Oh, am I interrupting something?"

"No, no, Micca was just patching up my armor," Rick stuttered out, Maria felt a strange feeling lift off of her chest, "Hey, why don't you let her look at yours? She's a master armorer."

"Uh, no, it's fine…" Maria stuttered, not knowing how to respond to the feeling in her gut.

"Maria, your armor is important, let me look at it." Micca said with a smile, her eyes honest.

"All…Alright," Maria said walking away to retrieve her armor, "Be back in a few minutes."

"Don't rush!" Rick yelled, before turning to face Micca, "Hey, didn't you say you had something to show me?"

"I almost forgot, come here," Micca said, gesturing to the back. The pair followed, Micca had a tarp set up over something, "It's a project I've been working on, it's a set of dust infused metal with a power supply capable of allowing the user to use heavy weapons without compromising their speed by increasing their speed and strength."

"What?" Rick asked, a little lost.

"Its armor," Micca said, ripping off the tarp to reveal the black armor underneath, "More specifically, it's power armor. I call it Freelancer; it's not done yet, though. I need a power supply for it; if you come across something like that in a raid, feel free to bring it back."

"Freelancer eh?" Rick said as he leaned in closer to the armor, "Got a nice ring to it, tell you what, if I find something, I'll pass it your way."

"Thanks, we need to get back before Maria; I'd hate to keep her guessing." Micca said with a coy smile.

"Guessing about what?" Rick said as they walked back, completely oblivious to her meaning.

"Nothing." Micca said as they got back to the front, Maria had just arrived.

"Here you go," Maria said, handing the snake faunas her armor, "What have you got for me?"

Micca whistled, she was impressed.

"This is Atlas-made, strong, good metal," Micca said as she leaned in, "Not the best, but far from the worst."

"What do you mean 'not the best?" Maria asked, not sure if she was insulted or intrigued.

"The Dust reinforcement is a standard job, the metal's a good quality. It's about as good as a standard Atlas soldier armor." Maria said, putting the armor down.

"And we all know how easy it is to get through that armor, hard unless you have high caliber weapons, semblances, or dust." Rick said, sitting down on a nearby desk.

"So…what does that mean?" Maria asked, fully intrigued.

"Really nothing, I could make you a new set, or maybe upgrade this one, but I would need money and materials. I wouldn't worry about it though, should hold up pretty well under most circumstances," Micca replied, "Still, I could make you a set of armor like Rick's, not enough to stop a assault rifle, but enough to stop a hand gun."

"I'll stick with my armor, thanks though." Maria said with a smile as the trio started walking out.

"All right, hey, if it gets banged up, send it to me; I'll fix it up for you." Micca said, the trio walking past the statue. That's when they ran into the rest of EMAD; Allison was barely stifling a laugh as Thatch and Francois were covered in food.

"The fuck happened to you?" Rick asked, not even trying to keep the smile off of his face.

"Team RWBY and JNPR," Ben's voice came across from the other side, they turned to see Ben and Richard laughing, "They had a disagreement about a pie."

"I'm still wondering how the fuck Nora built that barricade, that was a thing of beauty." Richard said as he twirled his mustache.

"Anyway, we're on our way to clean up at our dorm, we're ready to head out when you give the word." Francois said as him and the rest of EMAD beside Maria walked away.

"Micca, we've got to go too, still got to get our books this semester." Richard said, he ignored the hateful look she gave him.

"All right, let's go." She said begrudgedly, she gave a look at Rick that made Maria feel threatened, though she quickly threw that out of her mind.

"So…want to hit Dust storage? Get some explosives for our 'operation' tonight?" Rick asked as the pair started walking.

"We have plenty," Maria said with a laugh, she had learned a few things about Rick, one of which was that he believed that you could never have to much explosion, "You still good for tonight?"

"Fuck yeah; doing a project that shows how to properly apply a form of Dust to a situation is easy credit." Rick said with a laugh as they walked on, that was when a voice stopped them.

"Hello Maria." The deep female voice said, making Maria stop dead in her tracks.

"J-Julia?" She asked, turning to regard the woman.

"Wait…isn't that your…?" Rick blurted out as he turned to also regard the woman.

"What? No hello? It's been a while, little sister." Julia said, looking sternly at Maria.

"Well, you and father didn't exactly leave me on a pleasant note!" Maria yelled, making Rick groan.

"Sorry to cut off the family reunion…but, while she mentioned you once or twice, who the fuck are you?" Rick asked, making Julia pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Lieutenant General Julia Gaia of the Atlas Armed Forces, are you one of her subordinates?"

Maria eyes widened, she knew that Rick wasn't going to take that well.

"No, I'm a friend, not a teammate," Rick said, his smile getting frozen, "I believe that's what you meant when you said subordinate, you surely don't mean to tell me that you implied that she was a commanding officer, right?"

"She is a leader right?" Julia asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Sure, but unlike a military, we're all equals here. It's just the way things work." Rick said, his smile fading.

"Rick…" Maria whispered, she could practilly see the rage spilling off of him.

"Maria," Julia asked, attracting the centurion's attention, "Tell me, is this what you define as a good friend? He looks more like a rabid dog…"

Maria's eyes widened even further at that, partly because Julia had just insulted her friend, and because…Rick wasn't the most stable of individuals in these situations.

"I'm sorry, the only dog I see is the military bitch I see in front of me who's all worked up because her sister left that pack to become a new person." Rick replied, Maria's eyes closed, she knew it…she knew this was going to happen, Julia eyes widened with rage.

"Are you insulting Atlas?" She asked as she found her voice, "Their one of the few kingdoms that stands against the darkness."

"And I applaud them for that," Rick said back, "I'm not insulting them, I'm insulting the woman who seems to angry that someone bucked tradition."

Julia scoffed at that, her mind reeling from the insult. She gave Maria a hard stare.

"I came to see what you made of yourself here; so far…I'm not impressed." Julia said in a cold voice before turning to walk away.

"Hey!" Rick yelled, walking towards her and grabbing her shoulder, "I don't care who the hell you are or what your fucking rank is, no one insults my friends and gets away with it."

Julia smiled, and quickly turned to try and hit Rick with a fist. Only for him to dodge it and shove her away.

"So that's how it's going to be," Rick said with a smile, "Not going to lie, I prefer this to talking."

Julia smiled at that, she wasn't one for talking as well, but it was also because she believed in her ability to beat this asshole.

"That's enough!" Maria yelled, getting both of their attention, "Julia, I don't care for your visit, but are you really going to disgrace the Atlas military by wasting your time on him?"

Julia scoffed, before processing that information.

"You're right, he's not worth it," Julia said as she turned and walked away but not before turning and staring at the two, "Maria, I'm disappointed in you, being friends with that dog."

Maria had to grab Rick to prevent him from attacking her; Julia ignored the commotion as she walked away.

"Maria…" Rick began as the sister had gotten away.

"You idiot!" Maria yelled, "She's a trained military soldier, are you really that stupid? What's worse, why did you pick that fight?! She couldn't do anything! I don't care about her opinion!"

"Maria!" Rick yelled, making the teen stop, "Thanks, you made a good call. Shouldn't have done that, got caught up in the moment."

Maria smiled, her heat beating faster.

"It's OK, thanks for standing up for me, even if it was stupid." Maria replied.

"Well, let's go meet up with the rest of the gang, get that extra credit." Rick said with a grin on his face.

 **At the docks…**

"Oh, she sent the kids," Roman said as Emerald and Mercury entered, "This is turning out just like the divorce."

"Spare us the thought of you procreating." Emerald said, her voice filled with disdain.

"That was a joke, and this," Roman said as he showed a piece of paper he had snatched from the green haired girl, "Just might tell me were you've been all day."

"What?" Emerald yelled as she felt her pocket.

"I'm a professional sweet heart, pay attention, maybe you'll learn something," Roman said as he looked at the note, "Why do you have this address?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Emerald asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, I would. Now, were have you been all day?" Roman asked, taking a few threatening steps towards the pair.

"Cleaning up your problems," Mercury said, stepping forward to meet the challenge, "One of them at least."

"I had that under control." Roman replied, his voice getting extremely angry.

"Two packed bags and a ticket out of Vale said otherwise." Mercury said, obviously spoiling for a fight.

"Listen you little punk, if it were up to me, I'd take you and your little street rat friends here and I would…" Roman said, before another voice cut him off.

"You'd do what?" Cinder asked as she walked onto a catwalk.

"I'd uh…not kill them?" Roman asked, his voice showing fear.

"Cinder!" Emerald yelled, running up for a hug.

"I thought I made it clear you were to kill the would be runaway." Cinder asked, doing her best to pay Emerald's 'notice me sempai.'

"He was going to escape to Vacuo," Emerald replied, cutting off Roman, "Mercury and I decided to kill the rat."

"I think he was some sort of cat actually." Mercury cut in.

"What like a puma?" Emerald asked with a smile.

"Yeah…" Mercury said before Cinder cut him off.

"Quiet," Cinder yelled, "Did I not specifically instruct you to keep your hands clean while in Vale?" Cinder asked, ignoring Romans acting antic behind her.

"I…uh… just thought…" Emerald stuttered.

"Don't think, obey," Cinder ordered before turning to Roman, "And you, why wasn't this dealt with sooner?"

Roman gesture around him.

"Sorry if I've been a little busy stealing every speck of Dust in the kingdom." Roman yelled.

"You're an inspiration to every punk with a gun and a ski mask." Mercury said with sarcasm, he wasn't impressed.

"I'm a professional kid, though that might be an issue later if they sick someone who actually cares and can do their job on us. Speaking of which, mind telling me what your grand scheme is? It might make my next string of robberies go a little smoother." Roman said, obviously scared of something.

"Oh, Roman, you'll know what you need to know when you need to know." Cinder said with a smile. Roman scoffed as he turned away.

"Besides we're done robbing Dust," Cinder said making Roman stutter, "We're proceeding to phase two. I'll send the coordinates tonight; do try to avoid the good cops.

Roman scoffed as he walked away, allowing Mercury and Emerald to get closer to Cinder.

"You were right; Harry Holmes is giving and receiving info from Caroline." Emerald said in a whisper.

"That's what I thought." Cinder said with a smile.

"What I don't get is why you're letting him live, how hard could he be to get rid of?" Mercury asked, making Cinder laugh.

"Trust me on this, Harry is probably one of the most dangerous men in this city, let me show the fear he hold," Cinder said with a smile, "Roman? What would you say if I told you to kill Harry Holmes?"

"Are you out of your goddamned mind?" Roman yelled, his fear apparent.

"Thank you, I needed to make a point." Cinder said, turning to the pair.

"He scares Roman?" Mercury asked, a little in awe.

"He should," Emerald replied, "Harry is legendary, he's incorruptible, not afraid to kill on a gut feeling, and he's a crack detective."

"That's why I'm allowing Caroline to feed him information," Cinder said with a grin, "She will keep his eyes on Mary Blud, away from us."

"What about after?" Mercury asked, still not convinced.

"Harry is known for his weathering the storm approach, unless he see's a way to stop us, he won't interfere." Cinder said, guiding the pair out.

 **At the Atlas flagship…**

"Lieutenant Julia." Ironwood said as the woman entered the room.

"Yes sir." She answered, going to attention.

"At ease," Ironwood ordered, "I've called you here for a…favor, if you will."

"Sir?" Julia asked, her face getting slightly confused.

"It's nothing serious, I'm just to preoccupied to do it myself," Ironwood said, getting to his feet, "I'm stuck in meetings of all kinds throughout the next few days, I need you to check on an old friend."

"Who is it, sir?' Julia asked, still a little confused.

"I need you to check up on Harry Holmes, he's a detective for the Vale Police force. I have been meaning to check on him, but I haven't been able to find the time." Ironwood answered.

"Yes sir!" Julia replied.

"Good, now I'm going to be unavailable for the next few days, so hold on to your report till then, that is all." Ironwood said, Julia taking her leave.

 **At a club…**

The doors busted open as the thug was sent flying, Harry walked out lighting a cigarette.

"Tell me where he is." Harry said as he got closer.

"Fuck you man!" The thug yelled, pulling a gun, only for Harry to grab it and break the guys arm.

"Where is the Bastard Son?" Harry asked, the Bastard son was his target, a White Fang drug dealer whom the White Fang had decided to cut loose.

"Fuck you!" The thug yelled, punching Harry with his good arm. The smoke in his mouth went flying; Harry gave the man a cold stare. He kicked his legs out from under him, and grabbed him by the collar. The man groaned as Harry dragged him to a nearby puddle, and the promptly dropped the man into it.

"Where?" Harry yelled, the man's reply was to spit on the detective. Harry put his foot right down on the mans back, putting his head under the water and keeping it there.

"Where!?" Harry yelled again, letting the guy up for air.

"I…I don't know, all I know is that I pick up shipments every few days from a joint called The Piss Drainer, the next delivery is tomorrow." The thug said as he coughed, Harry kicked him again, knocking him out cold.

"Well, looks like I've got something to do tomorrow night…Just what I needed, another group of assholes who are probably going to try and kill me," Harry said before he laughed, "Well, that's what I changed my name for, might as well."


	12. New Enemies, New Friends

"Fuck you…" Rick said with a hard stare at Francois.

"It's a good musical, probably one of the best." Francois said as he stared back at Rick, all the teams where in the library studying, team EMAD, EMBR, and Rick where at one table. Team RWBY where across the pathway from them, along side JNPR. It was a fairly normal study session before RWBY busted out the cards and started playing, then Rick and Francois started arguing.

"I can't deny that, but to say that _Les Miserables_ is better that _Wicked_? Sacrilege." Rick said, leaving the rest of the table to pinch their noses.

"Why are we arguing about this?" Maria asked, her annoyance showing as she flipped a page in her book.

"Trust me, better not to get involved when Rick starts talking about musicals…" Micca whispered back, not making eye contact with the arguing parties.

"Are we talking about the movie?" Allison asked, making Rick turn to face the teen.

"No…" Rick said, his voice shaking, "That movie is a horrible abomination and an insult to the original production."

"I thought it was all right…" Thatch muttered, only to fell a rush of wind as a pencil nearly clipped his ear, the pirate looked dumbfounded at Rick.

"Fucking Russell Crowe? I don't think so!" Rick yelled, so far making him the second loudest person in the room.

"I hate this game of emotions we play!" Weiss yelled out, distracting the teams.

"Stay strong Weiss, we'll make it through together." Ruby moaned as she jumped into Weiss's arms.

"Shut up," Weiss yelled as she hugged the girl back, the red coming to her cheeks, "Don't touch me!"

"So…anyone thinking what I'm thinking?" Richard said as he took in the sight.

"Well…with the current political state, the recent usage of this kind of relationship in animated forms, and the fact that it seems like this has been set up since day one…hopefully," Ben said, getting everyone's attention, "What? I pay attention to things outside of our lives."

"Hey," Rick said as he got to his feet and walked over, right in time to hear Jaune get roasted by team RWBY, "Mind if I join in next game?"

"Really? Why would you want to play? You don't exactly come across as the board game type." Francois said as he walked over as well.

"Buddy, team EMBR and I play a game of Dungeons and Grimm every week." Rick said proudly, noticing everyone stopping and staring.

"What?" The psychopath asked, very curious about said silence.

"You play Dungeons and Grimm?" Francois said with a laugh, earning a stare from Rick.

"Yeah…dude, it's not that unusual." Rick asked, only for Francois to break out laughing again.

"Yeah but…D&G?" Francois belted out with a laugh.

"So…what do you play as?" Yang asked suddenly, shutting Francois up.

"Half-Orc fighter, grew up as a gladiator, seeks someone to call friend." Rick replied, ignoring Francois's eyes going wide.

"Wait, what?" Francois said as he stared at Yang.

"I used to play D&G, it's just no one here does," Yang said, before turning to face Rick, "How many people do you have in party?"

"We have four, Micca doesn't play, why?" Rick asked, suddenly interested.

"Mind if I join?" Yang said with a grin, earning a smile back.

"I'd have to ask," Rick said as he turned back to his table, "Hey! Mind if Yang joins out D&G group?"

"Sure, been looking for someone to help balance things!" Ben yelled back, getting a laugh from Rick.

"Should I come back later?" Sun asked, making Rick turn around.

"Nah, we just go done, who's the blue hair?" Rick asked, looking past Sun at the new kid.

"My names Neptune, and aren't libraries for reading?" The new teen asked.

"Thank you!" Ren and Richard yelled suddenly, waking Nora from her slumber.

"Shut up, don't be a nerd." Sun whispered.

"Intellectual." Neptune replied back.

"I was going to say asshole." Rick muttered.

"So, where you from?" Weiss asked, not noticing when Neptune started smooth talking.

"Haven and I still didn't catch your name…" Neptune said, sliding over to Neptune, earning a groan from Jaune.

"Wait a minute," Rick said, suddenly next to Pyrrha, "I know for a fact that you two made out that night, what happened?"

"Well…" Pyrrha said, remembering that night…

 **That night…**

Pyrrha broke the kiss, only to have Jaune fall into her chest. He had passed out…

 **Present…**

"Really? He passed out?" Rick asked, slightly surprised.

"Thought it was all a dream, minus the part where he and Weiss broke up." Pyrrha replied, only to be interrupted by Blake storming off.

"Women?" Nora asked, earning a laugh from Ben…

 **Later, in the city of Vale…**

Harry looked over the Piss Drainer and, he had to say, he wasn't impressed. The bar looked like a piece of shit and it smelled like the man, so…maybe that was the point. Harry shrugged this off, not noticing the pair of eyes that were following him. Julia hung back, not because of fear, but because she knew that she could potentially mess up an operation if she just jumped right in.

She quietly walked to the door, taking a peek inside. She could see Harry nursing a shot of whisky, before a voice broke his concentration.

"Jesse? Jesse is that you?" Came a deep voice from the back of the bar, Julia adjusted to get a view of the speaker, a medium sized black man walked next to the detective.

 _Why would he call him Jesse?_ Julia said, her concern grown, _there's no way he's THAT Jesse…_

Harry drank his shot, turning to face the man.

"Marco, should have known you would call yourself the Bastard Son," Harry said, his eyes narrowing, something was off. Julia could feel it.

"Of course, but…I heard that a detective was coming to investigate us, and I thought I recognized the face. Wiped your records?" Marco said as he sat down, making Harry stiffen up.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Harry replied, afraid of what was coming next.

"My old friend, you can tell me, if you pulled it off, then I can too. Imagine the money that I could make off of being dead." Marco said as he put a hand around the detectives shoulder.

"Marco…" Harry said in a warning tone, trying to stop this conversation.

"Jesse Stampede, my friend, what's the matter?" Marco said, stopping when Harry sighed.

"You dumbass, you just killed everyone in this room with that big mouth." Harry said, suddenly pulling out one of his revolvers and shooting the man in the head. The rest of the bar looked shocked at the turn of events, only for Harry to turn around and start firing. Lucky for him, there wasn't that big of a crowd, and they had no time to react. Julia's eyes widened as she saw his speed, there was not mistaking it. She had just seen Jesse Stampede, alive, in the flesh, and at the top of the police.

She knew that she couldn't beat him, not on her own. The teen started running, she needed backup, and she only one person who could help her in this…

 **At Beacon…**

"Excuse me," Rick said as he and Francois maneuvered his was past the three people, "Just got to return something to some friends."

"No need, we were just leaving…" Came the voice, soft and sensual as the lead lady started off.

"Huh…hey, came to return this." Rick said, handing Ruby back her board game.

"Thanks." Ruby said with glee.

"Not to be rude, what are you planning?" Rick asked, his voice one of interest.

"What…what do you mean?" Ruby stuttered.

"Your voice, it only gets like this when you're excited about doing something violent." Rick answered.

"Uh…" Ruby started.

"Ruby, you know that me and the rest of EMAD have experience in these matters, we started talking about it after the incident at the docks. You could use our help." Rick said with Francois nodding.

"Well…" Ruby started, only for Yang's head to jut out the window.

"We've got a lot of ground to cover, might as well let them help." Yang said, before running back in.

"OK, you're in." Ruby said with a smile which Francois and Rick returned.

"I'll get EMBR, see you later." Rick said as he took off. Francois chuckled as he worked his way back to his room; he opened the door to reveal Thatch and Allison playing chess.

"Where's Maria?" Francois said as he sat down on his bed.

"Had to take a call, apparently it was important." Thatch said as he moved a piece.

"Any idea who it was?" Francois said, laying back.

"Don't know," Allison said as she made her move, "Why? You've got something to ask her?"

"Yes, I do," Francois said with a smile, "RWBY, EMBR, Rick, and us have got a…interesting night planned."

"How?" Thatch asked suspiciously, turning his head to face the noble.

"Turns out, they intend to investigate some of the…interesting things going on in town, like the White Fang and Mary Blud." Francois said, his face still smiling.

"Sounds good to me, been meaning to get out," Thatch said, only for Allison to chuckle and mover her piece, "Damn it."

"I win again," Allison said as she turned to face Francois, "I assume that they accepted because of our experience?"

" _Oui,_ I expect they'll tell us what they have planned tomorrow, Ruby loves to plan things quickly." Francois said with a grin, at that moment, the door opened to reveal what appeared to be a very shaken Maria.

"Maria, who was the caller?" Allison asked, concerned at her friends appearance.

"It's nothing," Maria said, rubbing her eyes, "What's going on here?"

"RWBY asked for our help investigating some things tomorrow, interested?" Francois said, his face breaking into a frown.

"Sure, I just…I'm going to be busy tomorrow, do you think you can manage without me?" Maria asked, still very shaken.

"Sure," Allison said before asking, "Maria, are you all right?"

"It's…complicated," Maria said as she sunk into her bed, "I'll talk about it later."

 **Earlier…**

"Julia, what's this about?" Maria asked into her scroll, her voice full of annoyance.

"Maria, I need your help." Julia asked on the other end, the statement making Maria almost drop her scroll. Julia was prideful; if she was calling her little sister then something was very wrong.

"With what?" Maria asked incredulously.

"Look, have you ever heard of Harry Holmes?" Julia asked, once again almost making Maria drop her scroll.

"Yes…" Maria replied back in a slow voice.

"Maria, I've discovered that he's played us all, the council, the hunters, the police…" Julia ranted before Maria cut her off.

"Julia, wait, what's going on?" Maria asked, her voice growing more confused by the minute.

"Maria, Harry Holmes is Jesse Stampede." Julia said on the other end, almost making Maria laugh.

"Julia, that's impossible…" Maria said before Julia cut her off.

"No, it isn't, Maria…I just saw him gun down innocent civilians," Julia said, her tone of voice making Maria falter, "He did it with a speed of a hunter, and one of the men mentioned his name. He killed them to cover his tracks."

"Julia…" Maria said, her voice full of sorrow.

"I can't call in my men, he would notice them coming and I don't want to risk them," Julia said with a calm voice, "I need you, your semblance might allow you to see a hole in his defenses."

"Julia," Maria said, before stealing herself, "OK, where and when?"

"Tomorrow, and Maria?" Julia asked.

"What?" Maria asked.

"Thanks." Julia said before cutting the connection.

 **Present time, the Last Stop…**

Aedan was going through the bar, cleaning again. It was a slow night, and he decided to close early. That was until his door opened.

"We're closed, try The Rest for the Weary, they stay open late." Aedan said as he put a glass below the bar.

"Oh…I think I'll be just fine." Fantine said in a cold tone.

"The bloody fuck are you…" Aedan said as he got up, only to pause at the sight of two people, both of whom were old friends, "Curtis? What are you doing here lad?"

"Fantine asked me to come, said that Beacon could use some more protection," Curtis Marlow said as he sat down at the bar, "Beer, nothing fancy."

"Alright, here you go." Aedan said as he grabbed a mug and filled it from the tap. Curtis took it and started drinking.

"I see your doing well." Marlow said as he looked around the bar, noting its neatness.

"I'd say so; it's just been a boring night, Curtis, where have you been?" Aedan said as he walked around and took a seat.

"Been hunting in the north, in the Savage Lands. Been working with the team from there, can't say more than that." Marlow said as he took another swig.

"Aye, sounds like fun," Aedan said, he knew exactly why Marlow had been banished to that dangerous place, "When did you get back in town?"

"About a week ago, how's the rest of TAAR?" Marlow asked, noting how Aedans hands clenched at the name.

"Haven't heard, been there for twenty, right?" Aedan asked, to which Marlow nodded, "They're dead, died shortly after you left."

"Oh…Sorry, I know the feeling." Marlow said, his eyes growing dark.

"No, no you don't," Aedan muttered under his breath, "So, you staying at Beacon?"

"Yes, got some things to do tomorrow." Marlow said, only for Fantine to jump in.

"Yes, things that are classified, forgive me Aedan, but we must take our leave." Fantine said with a flourish. Marlow gave him a hateful look, but got to his feet.

"See you around." Aedan said as the two walked out, neither replying back. A hand fell on Aedans back; he turned to see a woman with black hair standing there.

"Who was that?" She asked, her face concerned.

"Trouble," Aedan said, "Do me a favor Sally? Keep the gun loaded, I worry about what's going to happen next."


	13. World of Light, Dark, and Shadow

**A/N OK, so I've decided to do a World of Remnant for LDS about the War of the Hunters. Also, before I go on, this is** _ **not**_ **supposed to be a representation of any real world events. I hope to avoid any debacle and now…let's go on…**

Twenty years ago, a great tragedy struck the world of Remnant, a group of hunters used their powers to stop an investigation of the rape of a young faunas in order to cover their tracks. This event lead to anger and outrage as this was not the first time something like this ever happened, people gnashed their teeth and pounded their chest, but what were they to do? A hunter usually only answered to other hunters, and even then, the process was slow and usually failed.

This time, however, something changed; a group of people had decided that enough was enough. Thus, the _Sannhat_ was created, a group of hunters dedicated to bringing down the corrupt regime. It was lead by a man named Gilgamesh, a hunter of extreme renown. He was a brilliant leader, but his success could be at least partly attributed to the hunter Jesse Stampede, another hunter whose motivations for joining the group came from an incident involving his former team.

The first major event after the start of the war was the battle of Beacon, even though it was a loss for the rebels; it proved that no where was safe from them. The rebels where let in by Jesse, he was unknown to be a traitor at the time, and tried to take Beacon. After a few hours of fighting, Jesse ordered the retreat and the battle was over. The effects of the battle, though, were felt throughout the kingdom, for the first time in a millennium, Beacon was attacked and almost overtaken.

The war would drag on for five years, leaving many dead and even more scarred. The governments of the world had the advantage for years in the war, until the Shattered Remnants incident, where Jesse Stampede assassinated the coalition leader, Admiral Tarkin. The wars victor seemed obvious, but then…something happened. A weapon was stolen, the Silent Night weapon. A chemical weapon that was being relocated aboard a train was taken by the rebels, at the cost of three of the four man team.

It is unknown what happened next, as the weapon was safe until deployment, but it went off inside the main base of the rebels. Gilgamesh was killed, as was most of his most dedicated followers, and a mysterious transmission was sent out to the other bases. The target was revealed: Every major city, thousands of innocents where to die, people who the rebels swore to help. The response was almost immediate, most of the rebels surrendered. They, despite the outrage of some, where given full quarter and where allowed to return to their jobs.

Afterword's, investigations where opened up into some of the crimes that the Hunters where accused of. Many where punished, and the wounds where left to heal or to fester. However, one thing remains debated, the one figure who it seems was never found and tried. Jesse Stampede is still out there, some say simply waiting to strike…

 **OK, that's over. I apologize that this isn't a full chapter, I originally was going to do this as a opening, but I wanted to commit this as this is really important, but I hope that you found this interesting.**


	14. Answers Pt 1

Emily couldn't have been happier; her feet pounded the soft grass underneath her as she ran. She was free from that chair, that prison of metal and gears, and she loved it. The wind ran through her hair as she took in the sights, the grass looking like green waves as she watched. This was it; this was what she was supposed to be. Not a wheelchair bound tactician, but a huntress, strong and proud. No one could stop her, she had everything she wanted.

She suddenly ran into something, it was cold and metallic. Emily's eyes widened as she took in the object, a door, a metal door. She whirled around to see that she was no longer in a field, but a factory. She screamed in frustration as she slammed her fist back into the door, not this place, anywhere but here. The door suddenly opened, the teen almost wept in joy, but there was a figure in the doorway.

It was taller than her, cloaked in black, and it bore no weapons, but it didn't need too. Its white eyes stared down at her and its raspy voice croaked out, "Why?"

Emily screamed in anger as she suddenly pulled her knives out and stabbed at the creature, her rage feeling almost palpable.

"You monster! What do you think I'm here about? You raped her!" Emily yelled as she tried to bury her knife into the things chest.

"The fuck are you talking about?" The creature yelled as he dodged the blow, leaping over Emily and grabbing onto a catwalk.

"You're lying!" Emily yelled as she watched him ascend to stand on said catwalk, her following as well.

"Who told you that?" The creature yelled as he rand down the pathway, stopping at a cross section.

"You know damn well who you monster!" Emily yelled as she charged again, this time, the creature disarmed her. She didn't stop however, twisting around and punching it right in the face.

"What? Her?" The creature yelled as it recovered, "You can't be serious, and I would never touch a woman like that!"

The creature's rasp was cut off as Emily landed another punch, this one had a crack of breaking bone as she felt the things nose crumple.

"You would! I know you would, you pig!" Emily yelled again as she started slamming her fist into his body, where ever she could hit. The creature didn't have time to talk as the blows rang out, blood ran down its clothes, its face was still obscured as she beat it, and pooled on the floor. Emily felt elated, but she felt some growing apprehension for something but she couldn't place it. The creature fell to its knees in a pool of its own blood; its voice became even more raggedy as pain filled it.

"You trust her? Over me? We've known each other for years, we practilly grew up with each other," The creature said as it raised its white eyes to regard Emily, "You just…acted? You didn't just ask? You…you know me, you know me, YOU KNOW ME!"

The creature roared as it surged forward, grabbing Emily by the throat.

"You would put faith in a harlot over me? Why?!" The creature roared as it slammed her against the railing, "Why? Because you hate me? Is that it? Can you not comprehend that I am innocent? Why? Why is that so hard for you?!"

The creature roared again as he slammed her against the bar again, this time, the bar snapped and Emily felt herself falling. She could see the creatures eyes widened as he looked behind her, but she couldn't stop. She felt a sharp blow against her back, and then, she heard the creature roar once more.

"Emily!"

Emily woke with a start, cold sweat covering her body as she looked around her room. It was empty, she quickly looked at her scroll, the time was 10:30. A message was also on it, from Ben.

"Emily, we didn't want to wake you, we're meeting EMAD at the library, meet you there. PS, make sure to bring some snacks, we'll need them."

Emily scowled at that, her, grabbing snacks? What was she, a maid? She calmed down, remembering that she didn't have a right to get angry; it was a simple request, nothing more. She looked around, locating her wheelchair. She regarded the chair, her hands clenching. One day, she would pay that bastard back for what he did to her…

 **A few hours earlier, on the Atlas airship…**

Julia was looking over her arms and armor, she felt a slight amount of trepidation about what she was about to do. Jesse Stampede was a dangerous man, especially if at least a quarter of the stories about him are true. She shook off her hesitation, he was a threat and with Maria at her side, she had a good chance of success. She grabbed her gear and started out, only to run into a friend.

"General Gaia, a pleasure." The Scottish voice rang out; Julia had to suppress a laugh as she regarded the man. He was a fairly fit man, black, had an eye patch over right eye, and his hand was metallic.

"Buccaneer, it's good to see you." Julia said, hiding the fear in her voice.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here Julia? Aren't you on leave?" The captain asked, his face growing slightly concerned.

"Yes…I just came to grab my gear, going over to spare at Beacon." Julia said, she hated lying to her squad, especially Buccaneer, but she had to do it for his own protection.

"You meeting up with Maria?" Buccaneer asked. Julia eyes widened at that, right before she remembered that the good captain had suggested to her that she try to patch things up with her sister.

"Actually, yes, I am." Julia said with a smile, a false one at that. She knew that her and Maria where far from patching things up, but…she felt a small amount of hope that this would help.

"Well, sounds like you're taking my advice, good for you lass," Buccaneer said as he started off towards the cargo bay, "Now if you will excuse me, I've got to tally our explosives. One small pinch of nitroglycerin and…"

Julia couldn't help but smile at that, those was his first words to her. She quickly shook off that thought, she needed to focus, and Jesse was her priority…

 **At team EMAD's room…**

Maria got to her feet, it was early. Too early for the rest of EMAD to be up and why would they? It was going to be a late night for them, but she needed time to clear her head. She quickly put on her armor and walked to the locker room, thinking all the way. She was afraid, not of losing a battle, but of the fact that Jesse might actually be Harry Holmes. If that man was able to hide so thoroughly, then who was to guess how far the others might be.

However, that thought wasn't the one that was weighing her down, the thought of one of her friends being one of the most dangerous and violent assassin in recent memory was unsettling. She cared about her friends, and Harry was no exception. She recalled how they first met; she and EMAD had been doing raids on White Fang headquarters for a while.

One day, however, they got caught by some police. They where thrown in jail for a night, they had been afraid of what came next. Then, the door opened to reveal a man in a trench coat and a cigarette in his lips; he pulled up a chair and talked to them. Maria could remember his words.

"So you're the guys fucking up every minor White Fang operation? I can say this, you're effective." The man said as he took a drag. Then, he talked to them, told them that he could help. EMAD was shocked; this guy was willing to risk his neck for them? That's when Allison realized something; she had seen his name in the headlines. That was the start of a new relationship, this was Harry Holmes.

Maria quickly shook the memory away, she needed to focus. She knew where to meet with Julia and she still had to get there.

 **A few hours later…**

Team EMAD, MBR, Sun, Neptune, and Rick all looked over a map of the city alongside team RWBY, each one talking about their objectives. A knock at the door shook them out of their conversation; Allison opened the door to regard Emily who propelled her wheelchair into the door. She didn't say anything as she approached the table and stared at the map, her eyes still furious from her morning.

"Dust, what crawled up her ass?" Thatch whispered to Richard, who turned and gave him a hard smack upside the head.

"Shut up! She might hear you." Richard whispered harshly back, hoping that his voice was low enough. Thankfully, it appeared so as Emily looked at the map once again.

"What's the current plan?" She asked, her voice full of anger.

"Uhm…right now, Blake and Sun are going to attend a White Fang meeting with Micca as backup," Ruby said, ignoring the rage pouring off of Emily, "Rick, Yang, Thatch, Ben, Neptune, and Allison are going to meet with one of Yang's contacts in the city, Francois and Richard are going to go to meet up with Aedan and see if he's got anything, me and Weiss are going to the communication towers."

"Weiss and I," Emily corrected, "So, what am I doing?"

The groups went silent then, Allison noticed that Emily hands had clenched together. Rick was the guy who ended the silence.

"You do what you do best, give us intel." Rick said, his voice cautious.

"Right, just making sure." Emily said, her voice lined with rage. Everyone could tell that something was bothering her, probably to an extreme degree. However, no one was stupid enough to open that can of worms.

"Right then, let's head out, see you in a few hours!" Rick yelled, running out of the room. The rest followed, all except for Emily, the teen stared at her legs, the useless pieces of bone and sinew they were hit her like a ton of bricks. She felt the tears building up in her eyes, but she quickly shook them off. She could feel sorry in the future, now, she had a job to do.

 **At the Communication tower…**

Maria and Julia where scoping the place out, Harry had walked in to make a call, and they where still waiting for him to come out. Needless to say, it was taking a while, so…they where reasonably bored. Julia was cleaning her weapons while Maria looked through a scope, both waiting for the other to open a conversation.

"So…" Julia started, "Any boys I should know about?"

Maria almost dropped the scope before turning to regard her sister with incredulity.

"What?" Maria asked, her face one of shock.

"Do you have a crush? Are you dating someone that I should know about?' Julia asked, "It's a simple question."

"No, I'm not seeing anyone, though I do wish to know why you would care." Maria replied back, before staring down at the tower.

"It's nothing; I was just worried that you and that mad dog were a thing, glad to see I was wrong." Julia replied back, her response actually making Maria fall over in shock.

"What? No, I would never…" Maria started as she got to her feet, her face red. Julia picked up on that, her face suddenly went hard.

"You can't be serious," Julia said as she stared at Maria, "He's an idiot, a grunt, a mindless beast."

"Julia," Maria said in a warning tone, "Rick isn't a dog, he's my friend, and beside…he saved my life."

"Oh…" Julia said with another hard stare, "So you managed to get yourself into trouble that a dog could help you out, naughty, naughty sister."

"It's not that," Maria said, turning away from her sister, "He…I made a mistake, a bad one. He was directly affected by it, Rick had every right to say no, but he didn't…Rick risked his life to help me despite my failure."

"So…he's a loyal dog then?" Julia said, her stare fading. Maria growled as she started to regard the building again, "Well, at least you aren't dating him, him and that taught chest, I wonder if he's got some rock hard abs underneath that armor of his."

"Julia!" Maria yelled as she whirled around, her face beet red, only to see Julia laughing.

"Sorry, but I had to say it, had to get your reaction, priceless." Julia said in between laughs. Maria stared at her, before breaking out into laughter as well. Both knew what was really going on, they where passing time, sure, but both knew how dangerous what they where about to do was. Being able to laugh was good in a time like this. Maria looked at the entrance again, only to stop as she spotted Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee walking towards the building…

 **At the actual building…**

Harry had just walked out of the doors; he had been on a call with one of his hunter contacts in Beacon and was ready to be home to enjoy a nice brandy. He yawned as he turned to corner, only to run into Ruby and Weiss.

"Well, if it isn't the little rose and the heiress, what are you doing here on this fine day?" Harry asked, his face breaking out into a smile.

"Harry didn't expect to meet you here, what's going on?" Ruby said with a smile, happy to see the detective.

"Just talking with an old friend, how's the team doing? Staying in the trouble I hope?" Harry asked his comfort showing. Ruby smiled as she suddenly pulled out her scroll.

"Hey, would you mind…" Ruby said, right before dropping said scroll it slid, landing at the feet of a very particular person. The orange haired girl picked it up, Harry turned to regard the teen. Only to immediately turn around, he didn't want her to see him.

"Well, nice talking with you but…" Harry said, before he was cut off by the girls' words.

"I think you dropped this." Penny said, handing the scroll back to Ruby. Harry didn't try to run; he slowly walked away, hoping that she didn't notice him. He didn't hear the rest of the conversation, but he was a good distance away when suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Sir, you dropped this." Penny said as she turned him around, holding his lighter bearing the rebel insignia of the Sannhat. Her eyes immediately widened as she took in his face, Harry quickly grabbed the lighter.

"Thanks…" Harry said before trying to turn away, however, Penny grabbed him again, this time, much tighter.

"Uncle Harry?" Penny asked, the detective's eyes widened.

"What?" Harry asked, taken aback at the phrase.

"Uncle Harry!" Penny said as she suddenly hugged him, "I'm so happy I finally got to meet you!"

"…What?" Harry asked again, still confused.

"Oh, you don't know me, my name is Penny, my aunt was your wife before she passed away." Penny said, once again confusing Harry.

"What?" He asked again, getting even more confused.

"She told me to show you this if I ever met you, said you would know what it meant." Penny said with a grin, pulling a simple ring made of gun metal.

"That's…That's right…I guess she would give that to you…" Harry said, a smile working its way onto his face.

"Look, I've got to go, but…it was nice to finally meet you!" Penny said, taking off, leaving Harry by his lonesome.

"Meryl, you did it…you fucking did it." Harry said his voice a mixture of sadness and happiness. Harry took a look around, this occasion required celebration, and he knew exactly where to go…

 **Back to the outpost…**

"The girl just ran off, he's on the move." Maria said, Julia standing next to her.

"So…any idea where he's headed?" Julia asked, Maria suddenly frowned.

"I think he's headed to the Last Stop." Maria replied.

"You sound familiar with the place, anything I should know?" Julia asked in a simple manner.

"It's run by a man named Aedan Flint, a bartender but…he's slightly off. I think he was a hunter, I saw him fight once, he had too much grace within him to be a normal fighter." Maria said, only to pause when she saw Julia's face.

"Where have I heard that name before?" Julia muttered, before shaking her head, "Is he a threat to us?"

"No, I don't think so," Maria said, "Thankfully, I saw him fight, but…I have a feeling that we would be completely screwed if he fought us."

"I highly doubt that, love girl." Julia said, getting a scoff form Maria, but in her mind, she was worried. She had seen that name before, but she couldn't recall why it made a lot of warning bells go off in her mind.

 **At The Last Stop…**

Francois kicked the door to the bar open, strolling in like he owned the place. Richard trailed in behind him, his glorious mustache making everyone jealous. People all stared at their drinks however, as the eyes of the waitress where on them. They had all seen what happens when someone fucks with the bar when she was around, Francois, however, didn't know this as he strolled up to the bar.

" _Je me excuse,"_ The French man said, trying to smooth talk some info out of her, "I couldn't help but notice your beauty, and I had to…"

Francois would have gone on, but the woman suddenly grabbed him and slammed his head into the bar, then grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, pulled a cork stopper out, and put it on his neck.

"Mind saying that again, Pretty Boy?" She asked, the position giving Francois time to look at her. She was a young woman, early twenties, she was good-looking, black hair, was clearly from good stock, and she had grown in some of the right places, but he looked closer to see tight, corded muscles. She had obviously been in scraps before, and she was stronger for it.

"Sally!" Richard said as he sat on a bar stool, "Been a while! How's business?"

"Help." Francois said, gasping for breath.

"Good, just dealing with shits like this one." The woman said, getting ready to throw the teen out.

"Actually, he's with me, I kind of need him, so…please don't hurt him?" Richard laughed out; Sally gave Francois a cold stare before letting him go.

"Why didn't you warn me?" Francois said, taking a seat next to Richard.

"Because I thought you had a brain underneath that hat of yours, now, I know you're compensating for something." Richard whispered as Sally came around with a glass of beer.

"Here you go, the usual, and what can I get for you?" Sally asked Francois, who gave her a look.

"Are you not going to card me?' He asked.

"I would if you asked for something with alcohol; do you want something like that?" Sally asked.

"Uh…" Francois said, usually he would get water, but he happened to spy a rare vintage Mistralli Red Select Harvest wine in the back, "Pardon me, but is that real?"

"Of course, and your only a few steps away from getting your ass thrown out of this bar," Sally said in a warning tone, insulted by the question, "Though I imagine that you couldn't pay for it."

Francois suddenly slapped down some lien.

"This should cover it, and their should be enough for you to have a glass as well, mademoiselle _._ " Francois said with a grin.

"Fuck." Richard muttered as Sally's eyes widened with rage, Francois turned to regard him, only to suddenly feel something cold press against his check. Sally held a heavy looking weapon, obviously a hunter weapon, but that's not what Francois thought as she cocked it.

"What was that?" Sally said, grinning at how the Frenchman fell out of his chair.

" _Merde!_ " Francois yelled as he jumped to his feet, almost pulling out his rapier before Richard grabbed his arm.

"Dust, dude," Richard said as he held tight, "I told you not to be an idiot!"

"What the bloody hell is going on out here?" A familiar Irish voice cut in, the trio turned to see that Aedan had walked in.

"Nothing much, just about to deal with an asshole." Sally said, nudging Francois with her weapon.

"Francois was just being an idiot, nothing new." Richard said as he let Francois, the only wound was too his pride.

"Well, I'll remember this exchange next time, won't make the same mistake twice." Francois said as he sat back in his chair.

"Good, what are you here for?" Aedan said as he leaned onto the bar.

"Information, any mumblings from your customers about illegal activity?" Richard asked, making Aedan rub his chin.

"Well, beside the bloody obvious White Fang meeting tonight, not much has been happening that I've heard of. Only a few wild tales of the White Fang stealing some advanced tech, but not enough details to help you. Sorry about that." Aedan said as he leaned back.

"Well, that's disappointing, thanks anyway." Francois said, only for the door to open to reveal a new customer.

"Pour me bourbon, my old friend," Harry said as he walked to the bar, "I've just had a great moment and wish to celebrate."

 **At the rooftops…**

"Is that thing working?" Maria asked, Julia was fiddling with a strange dish like device.

"Yes, turning it on now." Julia said, all seriousness now. The device allowed them to listen in on the conversation in the bar.

 **Back at the bar…**

"What's the occasion?" Aedan asked as he poured himself a bourbon.

"Well, you remember Meryl?" Harry said as he whirled the glass around.

"Course I do, she was a great lass, why?" Aedan said as he leaned over the bar.

"Wait, whose Meryl?" Sally asked, mirroring Richard's and Francois reactions as well.

"Oh, sorry, I guess I never mentioned her to you did I?" Harry said as he took a swig, "Well, she was my wife, to put it simply…"

 **At the rooftops…**

Julia and Maria looked at each other in shock, both for different reasons. Julia's research had mentioned he was married at one point, but Meryl? That was a name that was well known in Atlas, Maria was shocked at the discovery of Harry being married, in all of their conversations, and he never mentioned her.

"Her name was Meryl Wolfwood; she was a huntress, beautiful and dangerous. However, her true skill wasn't in fighting, it was in advanced robotics," Harry said through the device, "We were married after the War of the Hunters, we loved each other…but…one thing bothered her."

The pair heard as he took a swig again.

"She…She was infertile, it was her greatest shame. She wanted so badly to be a mother, however, her credentials as a Huntress and her past with her team compromised her ability to even adopt," Harry said sadly, "I always told her that I didn't care about that, that I loved her for who she was. She was still so ashamed, but…we worked through it, she got over it."

"However, one day…she started coming home later at night, and sometimes…she wouldn't come home for weeks at a time," Harry continued, "I thought it was just huntress missions, she was still a huntress mind you, but…one day I happened to be investigating a crime at a Atlas lab, this wasn't even a year ago either, and I saw her. She was clad in science scrubs; apparently, she had been working for Atlas in some special research division."

"Special research?" Maria whispered, turning to see Julia confused eyes.

"I never got a chance to ask her what happened…the next day something happened, something that she never told me about. She hadn't been just working for Atlas, turns out, some of those periods of time she had been at the hospital in Beacon," Harry said, his voice full of sadness, "She…had been bitten by a King Taijitu, their venom…usually, people survive it with Aura, but sometimes…they get bitten by an old one. Their venom is far stronger, but it takes it's time."

"It works its way through its victim slowly, making them despair for tracking purposes. She had been dying for over a year, and I never understood her last words to me until today: 'Find Penny."

 **Back at the bar…**

"And that's who Meryl is, I finally understand." Harry said, finishing off his bourbon. The group around him all silent.

"That's good," Aedan said at last, putting a sad hand on his friends shoulder, "I can attest when it takes a long time to find a meaning, nice to see that you found it quickly."

"Yep, I understand as well," Richard said, before looking at a clock, "Oh shit, Francois we got to go."

" _Sacre blu,_ Your right!" The Frenchman said, the pair taking off.

"What's going on with them? I finish a sob story, and then they take off. Was it that bad?" Harry said with a little bit of humor.

"No, they just have a little bit of research to do." Aedan said, going to the back for a new glass.

"Well, I'll be on my way then." Harry said, grabbing his coat and heading out into the back alley. He walked along, the sun was starting to drip low in the sky and the two pair of eyes followed him as he walked…

 **At Juniors…**

The three bikes stopped at the bar, Rick doing a donut to make a point.

"And that's a win for me!" He yelled as he got off of his bike.

"You only won because you didn't have a load to carry!" Thatch yelled as he got off of his bike, followed by Allison.

"Hey, that's insulting for us both!" Ben said as he jumped off, his grin showing.

"Hey, calm down; don't get too excited before we get inside." Yang said with a grin as she entered the building, followed by the others. As they walked in, two of the thugs started screaming and ran inside.

"That doesn't bode well…" Ben muttered as they approached the doors, that immediately shut.

"Stand back, I've got this." Yang said, readying a punch that sent the door flying off of its hinges. Suddenly, the group had about twenty guns pointed at them, the group didn't know what to expect but the record skipping was starting to get annoying.

"Someone shut that off before I rip off their nose!" Rick yelled, the DJ quickly took the record off.

"Stop, nobody shoot!" Junior said as he walked out, "Blondie, you're here, why?"

"You still owe me a drink." Yang said, grabbing the bartender and dragging him off towards said bar.

"Oh, that's a nice stock," Rick said as he approached said bar as well, stopping as he picked up a thing of whiskey, "Though not as good as the stuff back home."

"Stuff back home?" Thatch said as he approached the bar, "This is high quality shit."

"I didn't say it wasn't, just saying that my hometown brews better stuff." Rick said as he sat down.

"Your hometown? What, you saying that a bunch of redneck hicks are better at booze than a portside bar?" Thatch said in a challenging manner.

"Fuck yeah, we can drink more as well, we don't drink watered down piss." Rick said, his face splitting into a grin. Allison and Ben watched from the entrance.

"This should be good." Ben said, walking over and sitting in a chair.

"Why's that?" Allison asked, doing her best to ignore the two arguing teens.

"Rick in a drinking contest is hilarious, and that's what they're going to do." Ben said with a grin.

"Oh come on, they haven't…" Allison started only to turn and see them both making themselves a glass of vodka.

"Going down you bloody pirate." Rick taunted.

"You first you hick." Thatch replied back, the two ready to start…

 **At the White Fang meeting…**

"Go on in, I've got you covered." Micca said into an earpiece, following the pair through her scope as they went in.

 **At the alley…**

Harry walked through the alley, his cigarette in-between his lips. He stopped about halfway into it, the sun was setting, the building around him covered him in shadow, a single flickering light illuminated him. The two sisters looked at each other, what was he doing here?

"I know you're there, come out," Harry said, taking a drag. The two sisters looked at each other, he had seen them? "Come out, or I start shooting. You've got until I reach the word five."

Julia looked at Maria, nodding her head to the next building's roof. Maria nodded and quietly jumped across; their best bet was to flank him. Harry had started to count down, stopping as Julia jumped down and walked into the alley.

"Harry Holmes, you are hereby under arrest." Julia said, pulling out her sword.

"On what charges?" Harry replied back, his face showing no emotion.

"On multiple accounts of murder, assault, robbery, and, the most recent, the impersonation of an officer of the law." Julia said, trying to stall for Maria.

"Huh, sorry girl, but you got the wrong guy." The man said, taking another draw from his cig.

"No I don't, I know who you are, Jesse Stampede." Julia declared, Harry didn't show the slightest sign of distress.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but that man's been dead for years," Harry replied before rolling his eyes, "For the love of Dust, you get down here too! You're not going to sneak up on me!"

Maria stopped dead in her tracks, he had seen her? Heard her? That was impossible, only a…Maria's jaw set as she jumped down. Harry's face actually changed into one of surprise as he regarded her.

"Maria? What the hell are doing her? Especially with this rude gale." Harry said with a gesture to Julia, whose face became like stone.

"Harry, tell me the truth, I know about last night," Maria said back her voice full of rage, "You killed those people."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about…" Harry started before Maria cut him off.

"You know what? Now it all makes sense, your skills with the gun, your speed, your strength, your dexterity, I always wondered how a cop became so good with a gun, now I know," Maria said, her sword being loosed from its sheath. Harry's eyes widened as he saw the steel in the light, "You're a hunter, aren't you? Only a hunter could move like that, only a hunter could fight like that; tell me, Jesse, what are you going to do next?"

Jesse looked at the two of them, his eyes narrowing as he took in both of them.

"Unfortunately," Harry said as he regarded both of them, "I can't…allow you two to walk away, I'm sorry."

With that, he pulled out his two revolvers and fired two shots, the two sisters held up their shield. Wordplay was done, now…it was to be settled with blood…

 **Insert Time to Say Goodbye (Jeff Williams)**

Julia ran in, knowing that Maria's semblance might need a little bit of time to start working. The two's eyes matched as Julia swung, her blade connecting with his gun. Sparks flew as the pair started duking it out, all of Julia's blows ringing against Harry's gun. Finally, they locked weapons and stared into each others eyes, one pair set in justice, the other containing sadness.

That's when Julia's shields base opened up to reveal…a rocket launcher, she smirked as she pulled the trigger, only for that smirk to become a gasp as Harry/Jesse moved like liquid around it. He had a clear shot to her face, but that's when a blade came a few inches from his cheek. He didn't miss a beat as he slide to his knees, dodging Maria's attack and Julia's counter.

The detective rolled away, only for Maria to come barreling down on him. Harry/Jesse quickly readied his fist, and he let them fly. Only for Maria to grab him and throw him around, he slammed into the ground, rolling to his knees. He charged again, this time trying for a flurry of blows; Maria dodged every one of them. Her semblance was kicking his ass, and he had to jump back.

Only to feel a hard blow against his back, he didn't move in time to dodge the fist that connected with his face. He was sent into the wall again, he whirled around to see that Julia and Maria where coming in for the kill.

"Fuck me, I just want to say before I do this next part," Harry said, his eyes downcast, "I don't want to hurt you two."

Before they could reply, Harry suddenly pulled his guns again. This time, he didn't fire at them; he fired at the light bulb above them. Now, normally, the light from the sky would still allow for a clear enough line of site to attack, but the sudden darkness took them by surprise. The pair instinctively hid behind their shields, and, suddenly, a deafening BOOM was heard. Maria felt her shield and her body go flying, and then she felt the hands go around her neck.

The pair's eyes adapted to the light, and Maria realized what had happened. She was now in Jesse Stampedes arms, and he had a gun on her. Julia saw this as well, the teen circling them now, trying to find a weak point to free her sister.

"Back off, we both know that I'm capable of doing it, and that you can't stop me." Jesse said, his voice serious. Maria's eyes widened, and then closed. She knew her sister; she would never surrender, especially not for a girl who betrayed the family. That's when she heard the metallic clang, her eyes opened to see that Julia had, in fact, abandoned her armaments.

"OK, I'm not armed, please…don't hurt her." Julia begged, Maria's eyes widened. Her sister, her strong, arrogant, tough as nails, willing to sacrifice sister, had just surrendered to protect her…

"I need to ask, did Ironwood send you? Did he go back on his word?" Harry/Jesse asked, his eyes burning into her soul.

"Ironwood? Wait, Ironwood knows about you?!" Julia yelled, more surprised than angry. Harry's face grew confused at the display.

"Wait, he didn't send you?" Harry asked, "Then…how did you figure this out?"

"I…heard you at the bar last night, with that dealer…" Julia started, only to be cut off by a metallic scraping noise.

"And that's what I wanted to hear lassie." The Scottish voice said as it came down, the trio turned to regard the black, eye patched man with a mechanical arm.

"Demo? Is that you?' Harry asked, his voice becoming one of shock and joy.

"Damn right it is, good to see you commander." Buccaneer said with a grin.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Julia asked incredusly, now more confused than ever.

"Well, it's a long story; Ironwood will explain everything in good time, though…I believe we'll have to leave her out of the report." Buccaneer said with a gesture at Maria.

"Anything I should know?" Harry/Jesse asked his eyes narrow.

"Nothing much, but I do recommend you explain some of this to that girl in your arms. She looks confused." Buccaneer said, grabbing Julia and dragging her off. Harry/Jesse let Maria out of his grip.

"Before we start, let's walk a bit, I know a great place to clear heads." Harry/Jesse said, walking away. Maria followed him until they came across the docks, far away enough to escape the smell, but close enough to see the lights of the city. It was an alcove, obviously meant for tourist with a railing set up facing the ocean. The detective took out a new cigarette, Maria hadn't noticed that he lost his last one, and lit it.

"So…Jesse Stampede?" Maria asked, leaning onto the rail.

"…Yes, though I go by Harry now." The detective said as he took a drag.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Maria knew the answer already, but was trying to avoid the mixed feelings in her gut.

"Well, being bound to secrecy was part of it, I mainly wanted to keep you safe," Harry said, his eyes looking over the ocean, "A lot of people might want me dead and any I care about dead, for multiple reasons."

"But…Jesse Stampede? You're a legend, a killer…how are you here? And, more importantly, how does Ironwood know of you?" Maria asked, her voice filled with rage.

"Well, it's complicated," Harry said, taking another drag, "You see…Well, you're a smart girl, you know of the _Sannhat,_ what they are, what they did. Tell me, what do they teach you? Do they tell you of the factors that created us? Why people like me rebelled?"

"Wasn't it because the Hunters and Huntress's were given special privileges and some abused them?" Maria asked, her voice cracking.

"Yes, judge the many by the few, that's what happened. I was young, full of anger for…well; I'd rather not talk about it. It was started with the best of intentions, but…the best of intentions usually go awry." Harry said, leaning on the rail as well.

"Gilgamesh." Maria replied simply.

"Yes, that bastard," Harry said as he spat onto the ground, "Took something that was meant to be good, and corrupted it for his fucking use."

"And he died, saving the world from hundreds of casualties, all because he didn't check the seals of the Nightshade weapon." Maria said, her voice scoffing at the notion.

"Well, that's the official story," Harry said with a grin, "The real story is a little different, the weapons where actually set off in the base to stop him."

"Must have been a really brave team who pulled that off." Maria said, a smile showing on her face.

"A good team…or a man with enough balls to risk it, all to save the people he swore to protect." Harry said, Maria turned at that, seeing the grin on his face.

"It was you!?" Maria asked, more concerned than ever, "You set it off?!"

"Well, someone had too," Harry said, "After all, it put me in very good graces with everyone, well…good enough graces to cut me a deal. I help them with finding the rest of the rebels and convincing them to give up, that wasn't' hard at all, after revealing the truth, most of the men went home unmolested. My teammate and I were given new identities, and…well; now we're here."

"That's…actually pretty amazing," Maria said in awe, before going seriousness "hey…are you ever going to lie to me again?"

"I won't," Harry said, taking his hand and crossing his heart "Cross my heart."

Maria started talking when her scroll went off, it was from Allison.

"Maria, sorry to bother you, but we've got a situation." Allison said, prompting Maria to look at Harry, who simply smiled.

"Go on, we'll finish up later." Harry said a grin on his face. Maria returned his smile as she started away.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Well, a giant robot, a convoy, and Rick and Thatch are drunk…"


	15. Answers PT II

"May I ask how the hell Thatch and Rick got drunk?!" Maria yelled as she jumped onto Harry's motorcycle, the keys were in the ignition as she drove off.

"Well, it's a long story…" Allison began…

 **Earlier…**

"Suck my dick you hick!" Thatch drunkenly slurred as he took another drink of vodka.

"Kiss my ass, pirate scum." Rick said as he did the same, leaving Ben and Allison to watch with a strange fascination.

"So…have you ever seen Thatch drunk?" Ben asked, his voice concerned.

"No…he usually refrains from drinking when I'm around." Allison said as the pair took another shot.

"So…this is going to be interesting," Ben said as he turned his attention to Yang, who was prying Junior for info, "Hope she gets done soon, really don't want these two getting to drunk to stand."

"Wait, have you seen Rick get drunk?" Allison asked, suddenly a lot more concerned.

"Yep, and it was an experience for all of us." Ben said,

"What happened?" Allison asked, more than a little curious.

"Well, he might have beaten up a White Fang general, stolen his APC, and driven it right into a White Fang headquarters without any clothes on." Ben said, to which Allison's face became one of horror as she imagined the sight.

"Hey! That happened one time!" Rick slurred back at Ben, to which the ninja just smiled and held up his hands.

"Tell, did the ladies like?" Thatch laughed out, to which Rick laughed as well.

"Fuck yeah; they started screaming and throwing dimes at me! The men too!" Rick laughed out.

"Those were bullets you twat!" Ben yelled, only getting a middle finger in response.

"Hey guys! We got all we can get here, let's go!" Yang's voice cut through the group like butter. Ben and Allison regarded the two obviously drunk teens with dissatisfied faces.

"This should be fun…" Ben muttered as they started walking towards the pair, Yang and Neptune left, leaving the four to their lonesome.

"How should we do this?" Ben asked, the nervous girl, she had no experience in these matters.

"Hey, we done here?" Rick slurred, drinking another shot of vodka.

"Yes…we didn't find anything, so we need to go back to…" Ben started, almost happy that this would be easy, only for his scroll to go off.

"Guys, we've got a problem…" Micca said…

 **Back to current time…**

"And now we're going after a convoy while RWBY handles the mech." Allison finished as Maria rode down the rode.

"Where are they going?" The centurion asked, avoided cars along the way.

"To a warehouse on the docks, number 18, Richard and Francois looked at a map detailing the area. It's the only place big enough to house there supplies." Allison said as Maria turned down a road near a sign that said "Docks."

"Good, I'm on my way," Maria said with a smile that quickly turned into a frown "Hey, where are Rick and Thatch?"

"They're…" Allison tried to start before a slurred voice took the scroll.

"Hello, leader!" Thatch yelled into the mic, Maria groaned in anger. She heard a struggle and Allison took over again.

"They're with us." Allison answered.

"Please tell me they aren't driving." Maria said, her voice filled with fear.

"No, Ben is, thank Dust, we found a pickup truck and are tracking the covey." Allison said, looking out.

"Hey, coming up on the left, we got four transports, two APC's with guns, and a troop transport." Ben yelled as Maria heard tires squealing.

"Looks like Richard and Francois started without us." Rick yelled, his voice less slurred than Thatch's but still enough to tell he was drunk.

"Shit, Maria, we've got to go, meet you there." Allison said, cutting the connection. Maria's eyes widened, that was the first time Allison had ever cussed.

 **At the convey…**

 **Insert "Under My Wheels" Alice Cooper**

"Rick, stay here…" Allison ordered, she didn't want to have to deal with Rick's drunken antics anymore than she had too.

"Sucks to be you…" Thatch laughed before Allison gave him a death stare, partly because he had never gotten it from Allison, and partly because he was drunk, he shut up.

"No, you stay here as well," Allison said before turning to Ben, "Make sure they stay."

"I'll do my best!" Ben said with a certain amount of cheer in his voice. Allison nodded and leapt to the pair.

"Welcome to the party!" Richard yelled over the wind, doing his best to rip open the hatch.

"Where's Rick and Thatch? This is their expertise." Francois yelled, shooting at the other APC's with his rifle.

"They're…drunk." Allison said in an embarrassed tone of voice.

"You let them drink!" The two males yelled, both in shock.

"I tried to stop them!" Allison yelled, more than a little stressed out.

"Good fucking job! Look, just hope they stay out of our way." Richard yelled, only to hear a blood lustful scream fill the air. The trio turned to see that Thatch had leapt out of the truck and had landed on one of the other APC's, his eyes turned red and the driver and passenger jumped out. The APC that the trio was on swerved to dodge them, all of them almost loosing their balance.

"Are they all right?" Allison yelled, too preoccupied with grabbing onto the front of the vehicle.

"They're fine," Richard said back, before turning to Francois, "No they aren't…"

"That wasn't hard!" Thatch yelled as he jumped into the drivers' seat, Rick jumped onto the hood. He struck a pose, pointing at the next vehicle, the troop transport.

"Forward!" He yelled, only for Thatch to slam on the breaks, sending him flying. The psychopath landed face first into the back of the truck. The truck immediately stopped, Rick and the White Fang having a stare down, "So…this isn't the pizza place?"

They grabbed him, and dragged him inside. The other vehicles swerved around him, Thatch's came dangerously close to going off the edge. Allison groaned, he was liable to kill himself. She almost called for Ben to do something when an orange blur suddenly landed on the truck, grabbing the pirate and throwing him onto the back of the pickup truck before leaping onto the truck herself.

"What'd you do that for?" Thatch yelled at the snake faunas, Micca gave him a cold stare.

"I don't know about you, but I don't want to have to bust you out of jail for a DWI!" Micca retorted, Thatch clamped his mouth shut. He might have been drunk, but he wasn't drunk enough to try something with those rage filled eyes staring him down.

Meanwhile, the truck with Rick in was shaking, blows were heard and groans of pain, but overall, a song was heard over the chaos.

"Oh, I love to bust me some heads, send them to their deathbeds, crack their spine, make them slime, brake their bones, but NEVER EAT THEIR SCONES!" Rick slurred out, soon, the vehicle was silent. The driver and the passenger looked at each other, there was a window for communications sake, but neither was willing to open it.

Their fear was justified when a hand busted through it, and grabbed the driver in a chokehold. The passenger, understandably, jumped out of the car screaming. Luckily for the driver, Rick wasn't drunk enough to completely lose his sense, so the psychopath let go after he fainted.

Rick got out of the back of the truck, and walked to the drivers' seat. He grabbed the guy, and threw his unconscious body to the outside.

"Am I really stupid enough to think this is a good idea?" Rick said as he got into the driver's seat, "The answer is yes, yes I fucking am."

As he drove away, all of the bodies of the White Fang fell out of the back, all unconscious.

 **Back to the gang…**

Richard had just slammed his blade into the APC, getting a grip so he could stay on. A cry from the cab told him a lot.

"Hey, someone mind dealing with these guys so I don't vomit!?" The monk yelled, prompting Allison to slam her weapon into the drivers window, breaking it enough for Ben to send his whip blade in to grab the driver and rip him out akin to a certain red and blue superhero. He screamed as he was pulled out, Francois jumping in. The White Fang passenger, tried to pull his gun, only for Francois to punch him out.

Ben, Micca, and Thatch all held on for their dear lives as they neared the warehouse, the APC running into the opening doors. That's when a shape jumped from off of the roof, and landed, creating a huge dust cloud. As the dust settled, the shape was revealed to be…a goddamned mech…

"Motherfucking, piece of shit, ass kissing, bitch fucking, cockles son of a whore!" Thatch yelled, his language actually stunning everyone, including the mech pilot.

"Dust…I've only heard Rick cuss that much when he saw Micca being molested by those assholes at Fate, right before he tried to skin them alive." Ben muttered, before hearing a beeping sound. He turned to see that the mech's guns were all lining up a shot.

"Shit." Richard yelled, about to abandon his precious twinblade, when a diesel truck horn was heard…right before a troop transport slammed into the mech, knocking it into the drainage ditch. Rick could be heard on the way down.

"Suck my diesel!" He yelled as he went down, prompting the group to look at each other.

"Should we help him?" Francois asked, only for Richard to shake his head.

"Nope, he's survived worse things." The monk replied, starting off towards the building. The others stared at each other, shrugged, and walked off towards the base. The doors were still open, and the group ran in…to see a firing squad of soldiers start firing at them as soon as they walked in.

All of them dived behind a pillar, all except one drunk pirate.

"Come on you witless shits, you shoot worse than storm troopers who've been drinking for too long, come on and face me you bastard sons of a whore!" Thatch yelled, making everyone face palm.

"That's the guy you like?!" Richard yelled across the room at Allison who shrugged.

"To be fair, this is him drunk; he's a pretty nice guy when he isn't." Micca yelled back, Ben grabbed the pirate and dragged him behind a pillar.

"Hey, I was having some fun…" Thatch yelled, only for Ben to grab him and stab him with a random needle. The pirate looked woozy, and then looked confused, "Where are we? Why are we being shot at? Why do I have to piss?"

"Well, we're in a warehouse, we're fighting the White Fang, and I just stabbed you with some special dust to kick your liver into overdrive. You ain't drunk anymore, but you'll need to pee." Ben yelled, looking over his shoulder and dodging more bullets.

"Why the hell did you have that?" Thatch asked, still confused.

"Because I knew that Rick might end up drinking at the bar, I didn't expect an idiot to get drunk with him!" Ben yelled back, only for Richard to start yelling.

"Ben! Plan Cut! Thatch! Use your semblance, create a distraction!" Richard yelled, the pair nodded, and Thatch's eyes glowed red. The soldiers started screaming and firing at some strange beast, giving Ben and Richard an opening. Ben threw Richard his weapons whip mode, the monk grabbed in, and with a roar of effort, the ninja threw him onto the rails.

Richard cut the rail, and leapt over to cut the other side of the rails. Sending the White Fang crashing below, piled up and knocked out. The group met up on the floor, Richard looking around.

"OK, I see a staircase going outside, and a staircase going up," Richard said as he looked around, "Francois, Ben, go to the outside, Thatch, Allison, go upstairs. Micca, you and I will hold off reinforcements if they come."

" _Pardon,"_ Francois jumped in, "Why are you in charge?"

"Because I'm the only whose willing to take charge, and hasn't already made mistake today. Besides, I'm sending you out based on skill, you all help when it comes the others weakness's." Richard responded. Francois looked at him in shock, mainly because the monk was right in all respects. The Frenchman looked at Ben, who shrugged and the pair started off.

Allison and Thatch looked each other, and started off again.

"You think Rick's OK?" Micca asked suddenly.

"Don't worry; if I know one thing, he's probably having the time of his life." Richard said with a smile.

 **End music…**

 **Begin "Let's Get Crazy," By Quiet Riot…**

 **At the Drainage ditch…**

The mech slowly got to its feet, the pilot groaning as he looked around. His eyes fell on the twisted pile of metal that was the truck that hit him; he turned, only to hear a creak. The mech whirled around, firing up the targeting lasers, and waited…a humanoid figure walked out of the smoke. The pilot didn't know what to make of it; the smoke was confusing his vision.

That's when he heard the whirring, suddenly, an outpouring of bullets came spewing out of the smoke. The pilot took evasive action, leaping away. The figure came out of the smoke, in his hands…a motherfucking minigun that was blasting away at the mech. Rick's face was one of pure joy, he laughed drunkenly as he followed the mech, still jumping around to avoid death.

The mech's weapons fired up, shooting blasts of energy at the psychopath. Rick simply dodged, moving around like it was nothing. The mech pilot growled under his breath, he knew exactly what was happening. That bastard had managed to pick up the F-T800, an Atlas made minigun that was designed to spew out lead and not compromise the wielders mobility. The problem was, this was a prototype for a new design, and it could hold different types of ammo.

Its current ammo was the problem, it was armor piercing. The mech didn't have a chance to stop it if it hit, so he was jumping around. The mech leaped again and blindly fired at him again, Rick dodged by diving behind the wreckage of the truck. The faunas groaned, the smoke was messing with his sensors again. That's when Rick had enough of this bullshit; he leapt out of the wreckage and fired at the legs.

This time, the mech wasn't able to dodge properly. Its right leg was sheared completely off by the specialized ammo, leaving it down to its hands. The pilot panic only grew as Rick quickly fired again, this time cutting off the guns that made the mech a threat. An awkward silence hung in the air, the pilot didn't know if Rick had anymore ammo, and Rick didn't know if the pilot had any more tricks.

"I'm giving you until the count of three, then I start firing Willy nilly until something dies…one," Rick yelled, revving up the minigun, "…Two…"

The pilot didn't take the risk; he opened the hatch and ran screaming away. Rick smiled as he pulled the trigger…only for it to not shoot; he frowned as he looked the gun. It had a bright display on it for ammo count, and it read "0."

Rick laughed, right before throwing the thing on his back. He looked at the walls…

"Hm…I'm way to drunk for this." Rick muttered as he started to attempt to scale the walls…

 **End music, back to Francois and Ben…**

Ben and Francois walked through the door to the outside, it was dark and all that was around was a fire escape. They couldn't see anything, but Ben could feel that something was off.

"Well, nothing here, let's go back and see if…" Francois started, heading back towards the door, only for a crossbow bolt to jam itself into the handle.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my old sparring buddy…" A female voice rang out; the pair whirled around to see their assailant. It was a female, slightly shorter than Ruby, wearing a hood with snake fangs on it. Her mask was that of a king Taijitu, but both of the boys knew who it was.

"Cobra!" Francois yelled right as Ben yelled, "Wun!"

The two stopped and stared at each other.

"You know her?!" The two yelled at the same time, both in shock.

" _Sacre blu,"_ Francois muttered, "We've tangled a lot last year, I thought she skipped town for good. How the hell do you know her?"

"She…Micca's younger sister…" Ben said, slightly hesitant with that information.

" _Quoi?"_ Francois asked, even more confused, "Micca has a sister?"

"She's…actually got three, Wun here is the youngest, Micca is the second youngest, don't know about the other two." Ben said, only for Wun to groan in frustration.

"Hey, look at me! I'm right here!" Wun yelled, only for the pair to ignore her.

"Why does she have so many sisters?" Francois asked, more than a little interested.

"Apparently their father wanted a son, so he kept trying." Ben said, only for a bolt to fly near his face.

"Now that I have your attention," Wun said with a deep breath, "I'm going to kill you know."

" _Pardon moi,_ but I feel like you're mistaken. We outnumber you." Francois said, only for Wun to smirk and Ben to face palm.

"No, you Frenchman, your comrade has betrayed you, he's been working with me this entire time." Wun said her voice smooth and silky. Francois almost started to argue, when suddenly he realized something…his friend must have known about Wun…he's an assassin as was she…subterfuge was their style. Of course, it all made sense to him.

"Fuck me." Ben said as he saw the Frenchman turn towards him, resting his rifle to bear.

"Of course, it all makes sense now, assassin. You're predatory eyes, your warm nature, and all a lie to get past our defenses. Who sent you? The White Fang? What kind of animal are you? Bat? Rat? Or are you like our friend here, a snake?" Francois said as he pointed at Ben.

"Wun…you're just doing this as a distraction aren't you?" Ben said, seeming to not care about the gun pointed at his face.

"You know me well, but that's not enough to save you…I'll see you two later. Trust me, I will see you later." Wun said, reveling in her control. She spun around and walked away, leaving the pair to their duel. Francois moved first, firing a few rounds at Ben, who merely dodged.

"Francois, you need to fight this, please…I'd rather not do something that both of us regret." Ben said rather casually, if it wasn't for the live rounds whistling by, you'd think he was in a normal conversation.

"No, you _Connard,_ you won't get to play your tricks on me, not again…" Francois said with malevolence in his voice, right before trying to run Ben through. The ninja merely dodged again, leaping away from the blade.

"By Dust man, are you really that blind?" Ben yelled, jumping onto a nearby fire escape.

"No…my eyes have been opened, now die!" Francois yelled, firing a few shots at the ninja. Ben groaned again as he jumped down, this time, pulling out his blade for a fight.

"Well…sorry about this then…" Ben said before leaping to try and slash at the Frenchman, who dodged and slammed the butt of his rifle into Ben's back. The ninja grunted in pain as he dove down and performed a sweep at his opponents legs, Francois jumped, right before trying to slam his bayonet into Ben's crotch.

"What the fuck dude? Come on, have some class you overgrown hat rack." Ben yelled, spreading his legs to dodge. The ninja didn't let up as he performed a spin kick, forcing Francois to ditch his rifle. The noble was defenseless and open to strike…or so Ben thought, Francois smiled as he grabbed Ben's leg and threw him into the wall.

The Frenchman walked over and retrieved his rifle, only for a whip to wrap around the gun. Francois yelped as he pressed the button, releasing the rapier, and watched as the weapon flew off into towards Ben. The ninja's face was the most serious that the noble had ever seen as he twisted around and shot the only light source, the one above the door. The pair was shrouded in darkness, Francois cursed as he looked around.

He knew that he was in trouble; darkness was the assassins' greatest ally. On top of that, if Ben was a fauna as he believed, the ninja might have night vision. He slowed his breathing, calming himself. He needed to be calm to deal with the situation at hand, that's when he felt a blow come from his left side. The noble whirled around to face his opponent, only to feel a similar blow come from behind.

Francois cursed again; his opponent was using hit and run tactics. A coward's tool, but sure effective against him. He gritted his teeth, as he listened, he would only get a few shots at this. The noble knew what to do; he had to wait for the slightest sound…there!

Francois swung his blade out, and he felt it sink into something. He responded by pushing forward, and he heard the grunting. Francois smiled, he had found him. The Frenchman surged forward, trying to push the ninja off balance. Only to find himself tripping over something, his eyes widened as he fell. The whip…he had forgotten about the whip.

He felt the hard blow to the back of his head, and saw the blackness take him. Ben grunted as he caught the noble, he weighed a lot more than he looked.

 _Probably the armor…_ Ben thought as he slowly laid the noble down, sitting down next to him as well.

"Really hope the others are doing better than us…" Ben muttered to no one.

 **At Thatch and Allison…**

The door to the roof creaked open as the two walked outside, they looked around. It seemed bare, but the two had been in enough scraps to know that appearances could be deceiving. As they walked out onto the roof, they heard something. A huge thud, they whirled around, weapons drawn to face their opponent. What they saw…was shocking to say the least.

It was a female, but about the size of an Ursa, her body bulging with huge muscles. Her grin showed off her fangs as she drew her sword off her back, the blade was about as tall as Allison herself. Her armor glowed in the moonlight as she flicked her tongue.

"Well now," The woman said as she readied herself, her voice smooth and suggestive, "If I had known that I had two beautiful people walking in, I would have worn my sexy clothes."

The two looked at each other, not knowing what to make of this, right before the woman jumped into action. She quickly got between them, separating the pair, before engaging with Thatch in a sword duel. Allison jumped away, readying herself to fire at the new opponent. The woman smiled as she fought the pirate, she moved incredibly fast for someone of her size, and Thatch was feeling it.

The pirate could feel the force behind those strikes; that muscle definitely weren't for show, as he felt himself being pushed back. The woman smiled as she worked her way with him, her blade wearing him down. That's when a crackle filled the air, Thatch smiled as he heard it. Allison was about to rain down some justice on this new opponent, but the woman just smiled.

The blast of Dust flew around them, none of them connecting. Thatch's eyes widened as one of them passed dangerously close to him, he gave a quick look at Allison, whose eyes mirrored his own. The woman's smile grew larger.

"It's so good to have a challenge, most people just run and scream when they see me, you have gut's," The woman said as she surged forward and grabbed Thatch, the pirates eyes getting even wider, "So…I'll let you off easy, next time…I won't be so gentle on you, my swashbuckling friend."

As she said that, she threw the pirate across the roof, he skipped like a stone across the water before resting on the edge of the roof.

"And now," The woman said as she turned to face Allison, "What am I going to do with you?"

The woman started approaching Allison, licking her lips in anticipation.

 **Back to Richard and Micca…**

"Well, considering that these assholes haven't attack yet, they're probably all gone." Richard said out loud, the pair had been waiting the entire time and so far, nothing had happened. The monk yawned as he got to his feet; the pair had been sitting down for a while now.

"So…split up?" Micca asked as she also got to her feet.

"Split up, I'll check with Francois and Ben, you check with Thatch and Allison." Richard ordered. Unbeknowegst to him, Emily had been listening in, and her face was one of hate. She should be the one giving orders, not him. She almost screamed, but stopped herself in time. Emily thought back to leader training, leaders had to be able to make a call based on what they saw.

She was stuck here, in this useless chair, only being able to look at a goddamned map. Her eyes hardened as she looked at her legs, one day…one day she's make the bastard pay for what he had done…

 **Back to Thatch and Allison…**

"Stay away from her!" Thatch's voice broke the two's eye contact, the pirate limping towards him. His eyes filled with rage, his fist clenched.

"Wow, I'm impressed," The woman said with a sultry smile, "I imagine you wouldn't disappoint in bed with that strength and stamina."

Allison's eyes widened at the comment, in all of her deepest fantasies, even she didn't think so openly.

"I don't give a fuck about the bed," Thatch growled, his eyes slowly turning red, "All I care about is you on your knees, screaming in fear."

The woman started laughing, her voice crisp and clear.

"I think you might want to rephrase that dear, because it sounds like you want me to give you a blowjob." The woman laughed out, Allison's eyes scrunched in confusion. She knew what Thatch was doing, why wasn't the woman screaming in fear? That's when Thatch fell down and curled into a ball.

Thatch didn't know what was happening, he just saw darkness. Pure darkness, the kind that drove men mad, and he couldn't see the source. What was this? Why was this happening? Why hadn't his semblance made her see her greatest…fear…Thatch's eyes widened as what he saw took hold. Somehow, the fear had been deflected back at him; he was seeing his greatest fear, fear itself.

The remaining two fighters locked eyes, the woman's wide with anticipation, Allison's squinted in frustration. The woman started charging at her, Allison started firing her Dust. Each time, she missed, she couldn't understand why. She could hit a pebble off of another pebble, but she couldn't hit this huge, buff, woman that was charging her. As the woman neared, she closed her eyes and fired again, hoping for the best.

She heard the sound, the sound of a hit. Allison's face lit up as she opened her eyes…only to widen in shock and fear as the lightning dissipated. The woman smirked and tapped her armor.

"Dust based steel, heavy as hell, but nothing can get through it." The woman said, Allison suddenly faltered, almost tripping in shock. She knew of that metal, it was easy enough to make, but the sheer weight of it was only bearably by the strongest of hunters, and those were used in weapons and shields. This was an entire set of armor…

The woman surged forward, catching Allison. Her staff fell from her hands as she was picked gently; she was soon being carried bridal style.

"That's the general reaction," The woman said as she kicked away the staff, near Thatch who was starting to come out his state of fear. He was in no condition to fight though; Allison could see that clear as day. She closed her eyes, at the mercy of this person. Suddenly, she felt herself being set down very gently, her eyes opened up to see the grinning face of her opponent, "I'm not going to hurt you…"

That's when the door busted open again, revealing Micca, whose eyes and face both beheld shock.

"Uni!?" Micca yelled out, reconignition in her voice. The woman known as Uni smile grew even larger.

"Micca, little sis, how are you?" Uni said as she got to her feet, if Allison wasn't out for the count before, she definitely was now. Her confusion was clear as day as she regarded the two sisters.

"Wait, what? This is your sister?" Allison asked, Micca had told her about her family before…but this was even stranger than what she imagined.

"So you've mentioned me to them, cute. Tell me, does my little sister have a boyfriend I need to know about yet?" Uni said, making the other Wun sister's face go red.

"Not really…but that doesn't matter why are you here?" Micca asked, readying her weapon.

"I'm just protecting my groups' interests, I'm sure you can understand." Uni said with a grin, grabbing her weapon.

"Uni, please don't make me do this." Micca begged as she readied herself.

"Don't worry, sister, I won't hurt you too much." Uni said as she charged, ready for combat. The younger sister blocked the strikes, not buckling under the blow like Thatch, and responded by head butting Uni. The older woman smirked as she didn't move at all, right before she grabbed Micca and threw her across the roof like Thatch.

Micca landed right on her feet, shaking her head. She suddenly charged forward, Uni barely had time to bring up her blade to block the ax. The two sisters once again met in a stalemate, both pushing. This time, however, the older sister refused to be caught. She head butted Micca, sending the smaller girl back a few steps.

Uni took the opening, slashing Micca and rushing forward. The younger sister didn't even have time to blink before she was hit again, this time, right into the ground. Micca lay there, staring at her sister who sadly smiled.

"You always did try to take too big of a bite." Uni said, right before an engine cut into the air. All eyes went to the motorcycle that landed on the roof, the armored teen getting off of it. She looked at the carnage with anger, Maria had come to play.

"Stand down," The centurion said as she drew her blade and pulled her shield off of her back, "Before I make you."

"Nice entrance," Uni laughed out, ready and eager for this new opponent, "It's not often I have this much fun…"

Maria yelled a war cry as she engaged her opponent; Uni slammed her weapon against Maria's shield. To her credit and to the faunas's surprise, Maria didn't move at all. Uni was actually quite impressed; this was going to be an interesting fight after all. The two started dueling, huge blade met shield, that's when Maria started realizing something…

Why couldn't she analyze the style? She had seen it in action enough to be able to be able to exploit the weaknesses, what was going on? She miscalculated a swing, and ended up off balance, right before Uni kicked her. The centurion was sent flying, right to the edge. On the bright side, she landed on her feet, on the downside, the giant Faunas was giving her a predatory look.

"Maria!" Micca yelled suddenly, "She can deflect semblances! You can't analyze her, run!"

Maria's eyes widened as she regarded her opponent, the giantess suddenly seemed more formidable. Uni smiled as she waited, ready for Maria's next move. The centurion had one last trick up her sleeve, she smiled, time for her ace in the hole. Her shield opened up, revealing the minigun, and she let loose the lead. The bullets hit Uni full on the torso…only for them to not affect her at all.

The snake Faunas started walking towards Maria, like nothing was happening to her. The centurion stopped firing in shock, the fear clear on her face. Uni grinned as she surged forward and grabbed her, holding her up in the air.

"You know, with all that stamina and endurance, I can't help but wonder what your like under the sheets, if it wasn't for that beast of a blonde, I might want to explore that…" Uni said, Maria responded by trying to punch her in the face. The snake didn't even flinch as the blow landed; she was enjoying herself too much. That's when the sound of another engine filled the air, Uni turned to regard the airship that was coming in.

"Well, that's my ride, sorry to cut this short, cutey." Uni said, before setting Maria down rather gently, and leaping into the ships open hatch. She saluted them as it drove off.

"Shit, we need to go after them!" Emily's voice rang out through Maria's scroll; she had contacted her for directions.

"That's a negative, ghost rider, Francois is out cold, Ben's hurt, and I'm exhausted." Richards's voice crackled through the other end.

"We're not able to pursue here either, Allison's aura is down, and Thatch is coming out of a state of fear, and Maria's kind of in shock." Micca said into her own scroll as she got to her feet.

"On top of that, we don't know were Rick is…" Maria said, still slightly in shock at this new enemy.

"Right here!" Rick's voice rang out as he stumbled off the steps, "And I'm…drunk as hell, good night."

With that, the psycho fell down, completely unconscious.

"Well, looks like we're done for tonight, hope team RWBY had better luck than us…" Micca said with a slight pought.

 **On the airship…**

"That went well…" Uni said as she got to the head of the ship, Wun was piloting it.

"Except for the fact that we didn't a chance to deal with Micca, damn traitor." The youngest sister said with hatred, only for Uni to smack her.

"She's still your sister, and you will respect her as such," Uni said, her voice commanding, "Anyway, any new from the commander?"

"Nope, still meeting with her contact." Wun said, stretching.

"Well, let's go home then, I need to see my beast of a blonde." Uni said, getting a laugh from Wun as she steered the ship home.

 **At an unnamed house…**

Caroline looked around, ready for anything. She was a bit antsy, reports had come in that someone had messed with White Fang operations and that was more than enough to make her worried.

"Caroline," Harry's voice rang out as he entered, stretching his arms, "Good to see you."

"Harry, I was concerned." Caroline said as she regarded him, he was slightly taller than her, but had more meat on his bones.

"I could tell, anything the matter?" Harry said as he took out and lit a smoke.

"Nothing that concerns you," Caroline said, though that got her a look of protest, "Some other operations were interrupted tonight."

"So you want me to tell you my info and bail? Sounds good to me." Harry said, taking another drag.

"What do you have for me?" The commander said as she sat down on a nearby random chair.

"Well, actually nothing new to report, since you said you're done with Dust heists, everything's been quiet. No warrants, no orders, no nothing. The only major development since my last report is something that I feel like you would tell me, Atlas convoys being ambushed, prototype mech's being stolen, explosives…care to comment?" Harry said as he sat down as well.

"I can't." Caroline said, turning away from her adoptive father.

"Well, thanks for answering that question…" Harry said, only to be cut off by voice he knew well.

"So…this is where you've been hiding for all of these years, Jesse Stampede." Fantines voice rang out, causing the pair to jump to their feet.

"Fantine? What the hell are you doing here?" Harry/Jesse yelled out, his voice full of rage.

"Simple, I've come to pay my respects to an old friend, Gustav Leon," Fantines voice rang out again, "And to tell an unfortunate truth to miss Leon here."

"Oh my…Fantine! I swear to whatever deity guides this plane of existence if you say what I think you're going to say, and then I'm going to kill you." Harry yelled, his voice filled with even more rage. Caroline's eyes widened as she regarded this man, she had never seen him like this.

"Miss Leon, you know what happened to your father? His murder?" Fantine yelled, Harry still whirled around as Caroline's eyes widened.

"He was assassinated, a single headshot…" Caroline answered her voice defiant.

"Fantine!" Harry yelled again, this time with a begging tone of voice.

"Do you wish to know who did this? Because…he's standing right next to you, Jesse Stampede. Assassin for the Sannhat, expert marksman." Fantines voice boomed out, silence filled the room as Caroline turned to regard Jesse.

"You did it?" Caroline asked, her voice quiet, "You…you killed him? But…how…why?"

"Caroline," Harry/Jesse whispered as he turned to face her, "I…"

He didn't have time to speak, before she leapt on him. She slammed her rifle's butt into his stomach, knocking him back. She followed up by punching him in the face, tearing a cut into his cheek.

"Why!? Why did you do it?!" Caroline screamed as she punched him again, this time knocking him to the floor.

"Caro…" Harry/Jesse tried to start before getting kicked in the face.

"You bastard! Murderer!" She screamed as she kicked him again, sending him to his back. Harry didn't try to get back up; he knew how it was going to end. She might not have looked like it, but she was stronger than she looked. He was going to be out of commission for a while, until he got some Aura back to speed it along.

Caroline looked at the beaten man, she had waited for this day for so long, to find her fathers killer and look him in the eye as she ripped out his heart. She couldn't, however, she looked at this man before her, and she…couldn't do it. She couldn't see past the memories in her mind, the love he had shown her, the compassion, he was basically like her father…

She couldn't do it; she turned away, tears running down her face, and ran off. Harry slowly got to his feet, the pain flooding his every move. His face was one of pure sadness; he wanted to go to her so badly, to explain himself. The detective knew, however, that it wouldn't happen. He was too badly injured, he almost screamed in frustration. That's when a blade suddenly appeared in his shoulder.

He turned to see the cold rage of a man he thought dead, a man who he hated far more than any man in his life, a man who hated him just as much.

"Marlow…" Harry chocked out, his face becoming one of rage.

"You killed him, you killed him…" Marlow said, repeating the phrase over and over again. He ripped out his blade, causing Harry to scream out in pain. The cries of pain traveled far, enough to trigger the sensitive ears of Caroline…she stopped dead in her tracks…hearing the agony of this man she knew all of her life.

She looked around, confused, why should she help him? He killed her father, he deserved to die. As she thought this, she gritted her teeth as she heard another scream. At that point, Harry was bent over in pure agony. Marlow was currently hacking at his back, a face of pure bliss. He kicked Harry over to look at his face.

"You killed him…" Marlow repeated, his eyes crazed as he raised his sword to strike again. Harry closed his eyes, readying himself. He had one chance, that's when a shot rang out. The detective's eyes snapped open, to see that Marlow was holding his hand. Caroline walked into the room, her eyes hard.

"Get away from him…" She snarled, her hands tight on her rifle.

"Caroline, don't you…" Marlow asked, trying to reason with her, only for her to fire again. This time, it hit him square in the chest, sending him flying. He slammed into a wall, slumping down as Caroline ran over to pick up her…friend. She hoisted him up and dragged him off, knowing exactly where to take him.

 **At the flagship of Atlas…**

"So…after the war, Jesse made me and him a deal, we'd change our names, join up with an agency to track our movements, and get to live. Simple." Buccaneer said as he and Julia walked to the head of the ship.

"So that's why you're still a captain, they won't let you rank up?" Julia asked, finally happy to have some answers about her mysterious mentor, friend, and ally.

"Yep, can't have a traitor who might have some bloody sympathies in control of part of the fleet." The black Cyclops laughed as they neared the door to the head.

"Well, that's one mystery solved, what now?" Julia asked, slightly hesitant for what came next.

"Now…now you see Ironwood, he's got something he wishes to ask of you…" Buccaneer said as the door opened, Julia stepped through, it closed behind her. She was alone with Ironwood.

"Julia Gaia, I assume your wondering why I sent you on this mission," Ironwood started, Julia snapping to, "The answer is simple, I wished to test you. You've done good things in these past few days, you discovered a traitor, and you acted without hesitation, you waited until the right time to strike, and you might have succeeded if it wasn't for your opponent."

"Sir!" Julia replied.

"I sent you on this mission to test you, to see if you were…qualified for what I am about to ask you…" Ironwood said, Julia looked around, slightly concerned.

"What are your orders?" Julia asked.

"I'm assigning you to a special research project, project Vanguard. You will find the information on your quarters, do you have any questions?" Iron wood asked.

"Sir, one…but it's not related to this project, I'm ready to accept it. Do you know the name…Aedan Flint?" Julia asked, only for her eyes to widen as Ironwood laughed.

"I do actually, he's a former hunter, you probably know him for the Patrokolos incident. I'll send you a report," Ironwood said, only to clarify when Julia's face became confused, "I'm sending it to you because it's something you should know if you're a general. I'm actually surprised you don't know already. Dismissed."

Julia walked out of the room, not sure of what to make of this all.

 **At Harry's house…**

The pair stumbled in; Caroline quickly put Harry onto a nearby couch.

"The cabinet, third shelf, clear bottle." Harry gasped out, Caroline nodded and did as he asked, handing him the bottle. He downed it, only to cry out in pain suddenly. Caroline grabbed him, only to see that the wounds on his face were healing at an incredible rate.

"Healing Dust, heals it quickly, but hurts like a bitch." Harry gasped out through a smile. Caroline smiled gently at that, nice to see that his humor was still intact. Her face fell though.

"Harry, did you do it?" She asked in a fearful tone.

"I was afraid you would ask me that one day," Harry said, getting up on his arms, "Yes, I did."

Caroline breathed out a small sob.

"However, I need to add that I never meant too," The detective said, getting Caroline's attention, "I was attacking a cargo train, and he jumped me. I was busy, so someone else had loaded my guns for me that day. What I didn't know was that they had loaded it with an Alexander round. You know what that is."

Caroline's eyes widened, those bullets…no one used them, made from the essence of Grimm, they turned Aura against someone. They were extremely deadly, it was almost impossible survive as Aura was used by almost everyone in everyway.

"I shot him with it, and it took hold. I…put him out of his misery," Harry said, his voice getting hoarse, "He had enough time to give me his last request, he asked me to take care of you."

Caroline's eyes widened at that.

"We knew each other before the war, and he trusted me still, after all this time. It…was heartbreaking, but I'm a man of my word. So…that's how I met you, I'm so sorry." Harry said, his voice cracking with regret.

"Harry…I…I almost left you to die, but…when I heard him beating you…I couldn't let you go…I think I know why," Caroline said with a sad smile, "I love you, like a father. I can't let that go…not anymore."

"Well, guess we're both just idiots then." Harry said, getting a laugh from Caroline.

"I guess we are…"


	16. Allies

The woman walked into Beacon with a slight scowl on her face, she was a small thing, not that tall, but the dress she wore got a lot of attention as students stared at her. It was a light purple dress with the back cut open, revealing her back to the world. Her brown hair bounced as she stormed into the office, Fantine was sipping something from a mug, expecting her.

"You bastard." She said as she leaned over his desk.

"Why, Theodora, whatever do you mean?" Fantine said with another sip, ignoring her blazing eyes.

"You know damn well why…" Theodora said with a snarl.

"What? The package? Just a simple running job, no big deal…" The phantom said, only for Theodora to cut him off.

"That's not the problem, he's not supposed to be here…why the hell would you send me to deliver a package to Jesse?" The woman said with rage…hiding a strange form of hurt from her voice.

"Theodora, it's been twenty years…this hatred, it's not healthy." Fantine said, only for Theodora to slap him across the face.

"That's not for you to determine," Theodora said, her voice starting to break, "What he did…"

"As much as I hate to admit it, you know that that isn't fair. He had nothing to do with that…" Fantine said, only for the snarl to cut him off again.

"…I know…but I'm not ready to forgive him yet." Theodora said as she brought over a nearby chair.

"Tell me what happened, I need to know everything…" Fantine said, leaning over to put a hand on hers.

 **A few hours earlier…**

Theodora was walking through the streets of Beacon with a slight skip in her step, she was happy to be back in the city, especially since it was for a longer period of time this time round. Fantine had sent her with a package to a certain address, normally, she would hate this kind of work…but it gave her an excuse to hang out around some old haunts. However, duty calls as she stopped at a house not too far from Beacon, it was a medium sized house. Nothing would really separate it from the others except for the fact that it had a cross on the front door, as Theodora saw it, she couldn't help but think it seemed familiar.

She rang the doorbell and waited, soon enough, a maid opened the door. She was medium height, slender, wore glasses, and had a crucifix over her chest. She curtsied as she observed the new guest, Theodora smiled as the woman started speaking.

"Welcome, what is your business here?" The maid asked, the smile never leaving her face.

"I'm here to deliver a package to someone, Hunter business, I'm afraid I need to hand it to him in person, before you ask." Theodora said, to which the maid nodded.

"Perfectly understandable, please, the master is asleep, he had a hard night last night and has just woken up," The maid said as she want up the stairs, "I will tell him you're here, I imagine he'll be eager to see what you have for him."

Theodora waved as the maid disappeared, wandering the room a bit. It was a decent sized house, three rooms on the bottom floor, a dining hall, a kitchen, and an office area, which she now resided in. She looked around, a desk was set up facing the door, most people would think it was to greet guest as they walked in, but Theodora knew that it served another purpose. Someone couldn't shoot him in the back if they walked in the front door, nearby the desk was a bookshelf, though it didn't have just books on it.

A few of the shelves held Knick knacks, two semi-auto pistols stood on a pedestal with a strange set of tribal writings on a piece of paper, a rifle cartridge that looked far too large to be a normal round, a eyepatch stood next to those, finally, a picture of a young woman. Theodora stopped at that picture, she knew the person. The woman looked to be about her mid-twenties at the time the photo was taken, the time code said that it was a long time ago, and she had a huge sword across her back. She grinned as she looked at the person behind the camera…

Theodora lurched back, she knew whose house this was…and that's when Harry came down the stairs, dressed in his trench coat and fedora. They both stopped and stared at each other, both shocked almost beyond words.

"Theo…" The detective started before the woman cut him off.

"What are you doing here?" The woman said in a rage, her fist clenching as she looked at the man with pure hatred.

"…I assume that Fantine didn't tell you? Funny…isn't he supposed to be a leader?" Harry said with a special form of anger.

"He's a good man, far better than you…" Theodora said, slamming down her package, a manila envelope.

"Theodora, you know I had nothing to do with that, I would have stopped them if I…" Harry said as Theodora cut him off.

"I've heard it all before, _Jesse,_ but that didn't stop you from hooking up with my replacement did it?" Theodora said, trying to provoke the man. His eyes widened as she saw the blow hit its mark.

"Leave Meryl out of this, you might resent her because of what she replaced, but she stood up for you long after you left." Harry/Jesse said, his voice rising.

"She was a…" Theodora started, before faltering as she looked at the picture again. That's when her rage suddenly faltered as she remembered something, in her rage, she had forgotten that the woman had passed away a short while ago…Hell, she had been to the funereal, "…a good person, look, I've got to go. Don't let me see your face ever again."

"We both know that isn't going to happen…" Harry yelled as the woman stormed off. The maid came down the stairs as the door slammed shut.

"Is there a problem master Holmes?" The maid asked, concern in her voice.

"No Roberta, just a…old friend who hasn't let go of the past." Harry said as he reached over and picked up the files, looking over them as he sat down at his desk.

 **Present time…**

"That's how it happened, so explain to me why the hell you sent me on that errand?" Theodora asked, anger still in her voice.

"Those documents that you delivered were of incredible value," Fantine said, taking a sip of coffee, "So much value that I couldn't risk losing them, I'd much have rather taken them myself but me and Harry aren't on speaking turns right now."

"What did you do?" Theodora asked, the phantom had a small smile of amusement.

"And why do you think it was my fault?" Fantine said, leaning back in his chair.

"Because…as much as I hate to admit it, Jesse is an extremely valuable asset. You would tolerate him for the sake of his assistance, however, he would stop talking to you if you did something to piss him off." Theodora said with a slight smile.

"I see…the details of what happened are personal, but, I assure you this, I'll need you to keep running packages," The phantom said, stopping as the woman scoffed at the idea, "Let me explain, while you and him might not get along, you do have a history together. He's far more likely to trust you than to trust some random messenger."

"And why do I need his trust?" The woman asked, her eyes narrowing.

"I need someone to keep an eye on him, he's dangerous, but to this point, he has given no question to his loyalty. However, you know how he is, with this gathering storm…I fear that he may become an enemy." Fantine said, earning a look of shock from the woman.

"This gathering storm? You mean that…" Theodora started.

"If he figures out about the Fall maiden…I fear what he might do…" Fantine said as he turned and looked out to face the window, leaving the pair to their thoughts.

 **At the Airship station…**

Rick was on a bench, drinking some water as he watched the stations, waiting for something to happen.

"Drinking alone?" Maria's voice suddenly spoke, making the psychopath jump.

"Maria, what are you doing here?" Rick said as he recovered from said shock.

"I was walking back from combat class, Pyrrha just got done defeating team CRDL..." Maria started before a new voice cut her off.

"And after a transfer tried to fight her, only to quit like a bitch after a few seconds." Micca's voice made Maria jump as she whirled around to give the snake a stare, she noticed the smirk. Oh…how she wanted to punch that girls face…wait, what? Maria quickly shook that thought from her head, why did she suddenly feel so threatened by the faunas' presence all of the sudden?

"Really, which transfer?" Rick asked, suddenly more invested.

"The grey haired one…Mercury I think." Maria said as she sat down, prompting Micca to sit as well.

"Great, that bastard…don't like him at all, he's a creepy motherfucker. Always watching…" Rick said, his eyes suddenly glazing over.

"Yeah, might be that he's observing the competition." Micca said suddenly, Rick snapped out of his thoughts.

"What? Yeah, probably right about that." The teen said as he stretched.

"So…what are you waiting for?" Maria asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Some old friends, decided to say hi when they arrive." Rick stated with a grin.

"Team LWTJ (Liberty)? They're coming in today?" Micca said, suddenly a lot more excited.

"Wait, team LWTJ? As in, the team that made it to the semi-finals and only lost because of the famous team BLCP? _That_ LWTJ?" Maria said, suddenly breathless.

"…Yeah…why?" Rick asked, slightly concerned by her reaction.

"Their…some of the highest ranked hunter in training teams in the world, second only behind team BLCP…and you know them? And they're coming here to fight?" Maria said, an evil grin showing up on her face.

"Yeah," Rick said with a sigh, "You want to fight them, don't you?"

"Oh yes, it would be good to test my blade against someone of such high caliber." Maria said, suddenly a lot more excited.

"Our leader is excited, that's always scary," Thatches voice made the trio jump out of their trance. They turned to see that the rest of EMAD had come along, "Care to enlighten me?"

"Some new blood, Maria's excited about the possibility to fight them." Micca said with a laugh.

"Really, who? Any faces that I know?" Francois said as he sat down on an adjacent bench, taking off his hat.

"Team LWTJ, you heard of them?" Rick yelled, prompting the Frenchman to fall out of his seat.

"Wait, as the team that has Teddy Brown on its roster?" Francois said as he jumped to his feet.

"Yeah…why do I feel like you have a history?" Micca groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"That cowboy beat me at the rifle show this summer, his apparently was just a little bit accurate than mine. Oh…I'll show him…" Francois said with an evil grin as he rubbed his hands together.

"Was that why you were so upset at the festival?" Allison said with a giggle.

"Yes I was, my weapon was clearly superior craftsmanship." Francois said, turning his head in arrogance.

"Is that why it jammed when we fought that Nevermore last year?" Thatch cut in, earning a scoff from the Frenchman.

"That was one time…" Francois started before he was cut off.

"What about when you tried to shoot Goodwitch with that Dust to make her try and make her have sex with Maria?" Allison asked, suddenly, Maria's eyes widening.

"What?!" Maria started before Thatch cut her off.

"What about that time you tried to hit Yatsuhashi with a bug bullet?" Thatch went on.

"No, stop, what about Goodwitch?" Maria said, her eyes fixing on the Frenchman with fire.

"Uh…it was a dare, Thatch made me do it!" Francois yelped, Maria turned her eyes to the pirate.

"Don't look at me, I'm not that stupid." Thatch stated, Maria nodded as she turned to face Francois once again, who had started hiding behind Allison.

"We'll settle this later, the ships are coming, but we are going to have a talk about my privacy, my sexual preference, and my sexual activity, one that you are not going to like." Maria stated simply, the man nodded, knowing that he was probably going to be ripped apart limb from limb. The ships landed as the group looked at the entrance, ready for what came out. The doors opened…and a brown blur suddenly shot past and latched onto Rick in a bear hug.

Micca smiled at the sharp intake of breath that she heard from Maria as the group watched the scene take place. The figure was a female, she wore a brown shirt that covered chainmail as well as a claymore on her back.

"Ricky, it's good to see you again!" The woman yelled with a thick Scottish accent, surprising the people watching.

"Good to see you too Willow, how's the rest of the team?" Rick asked as he pried the girl off.

"We're fine, thank you." Another voice, sounding like Gerald Butler, rang out. The group turned, and Maria almost started jumping with excitement at the sight.

"Leo, good to see you again!" Rick laughed as the man walked down, he wore bronze armbands and bronze boots, a sword laid at his hip and a shield on his back. His bearded face shone as he walked down the ramp. Maria stepped forward as the man approached, keeping her excitement in check.

"Leonidas Khrusos, a pleasure." The centurion said, sticking out her hand.

"Well, I'll be damned, Maria Gaia, didn't expect to get a royal welcome." The Spartan laughed as he shook her hand.

"You've heard of me?" Maria asked, slightly shocked.

"Of course I have, your one of the best fighters of your grade, an almost completely unblemished fighting record, only major tournament loss was against the great Pyrrha Nikos. I hope to cross blades with you in combat, a grand opponent deserves another." Leo said with a grin, earning a laugh from the centurion.

"Don't expect for me to go easy on you…" Maria stated, getting the same laugh from Leo.

"I don't intend too." Leo said as a voice rang through the air.

"Allison? Is that you?" A female voice came out, attracting the quiet girls' attention. She couldn't help but break out into a grin as she saw who it belonged too. A teen in a bright red shirt walked out, she was a little taller than Allison but still hugged the girl.

"Uh…who's this?" Thatch asked, the girls turned to face him.

"So…this is the guy you've told me so much about…" The woman said, giving him a look over while Allison blushed fiercely, "Good stock, I can see that much…My name is Josephine."

"Uh…she's talked about me?" The pirate stuttered out, his face growing red as well.

"All good things, I assure you…" Josephine started, right before a yell got everyone's attention.

"So…here you are, you sick bastard." The voice belonged to a teen with glasses and a mustache who was currently staring down Francois.

"Nice to see you again, you dumb country fool." Francois said, his face growing red with anger.

"Still using that crap rifle?" The other teen said with a grin, everybody knew instantly that this was Teddy.

"It's a weapon of elegance…" Francois said, only for Teddy to cut him off.

"It's a piece of crap, not like this here," Teddy said, patting his own rifle, "This baby will shoot under any circumstances."

"Oh, shut up, settle it in the tournament." Micca yelled, earning everyone's attention.

"Micca! It's good to see you as well lassie!" Willow yelled as she picked up the teen, before gently grabbing the girl's mango colored hair, "I see you went back to natural."

"Ah…too much work to keep it looking blonde." Micca said with a laugh, that's when a booming voice cut across the field.

"Sorry to interrupt, but could you point is to the dorms?" The voice said as the teens turned to face the man, Maria eyes lit up as she saw him. He was huge, as tall as Yatsuhashi, but his soldiers were much broader. His face was covered by long thick black hair and a beard, he wore chainmail as well, but most people stared at his sword. It was a six foot long, single edged, blade with another foot of handle, it was about a foot thick at the base and it didn't thin until the end, were it cut sharply into a point.

Maria almost started salivating as she took him in, it wasn't attraction that made her do this. She knew who this was, Beowulf Gras, from Shade. Those who followed him were just as famous, a woman who wore a cut off brown shirt and short shorts, though no one would dare call her a slut as she A. had a six pack that put Sun's to shame, and B. She had an ax over her shoulder. This was Caramel Cernach, she was from the highlands and she had a nasty habit of trying to take heads.

The next up was an individual in black plate armor, Francois, who was familiar with the courtly intrigue, eyes widened even bigger as he regarded person. It was Lancelot of the Lake, a knight of great renown who served Artoria, the queen who was destined to protect the land of Camelot. However, this had lost its meaning as Atlas had absorbed it a long time ago, but Artoria was stilled supposed to take over. The queen had lost her life in a cave fighting alongside Lancelot who had taken a vow of silence in shame.

After him came a bronze skinned teen wearing a toga with yellow embroidery, on his right he bore a sword that sparkled gold in the light. His eyes glowed blue as he walked out, immediately snapping to Leonidas.

"I knew I'd find you here you sick bastard." The man yelled as he strode forward and took the Spartans hand.

"If I had known, I'd have prepared a fun riel for you." Leo replied, earning a good natured laugh from the other. However, before he had time to say anything, Beowulf had walked right past them and in front of Maria.

"Tell me, would your name happen to be Maria Gaia?" The Viking asked, to which Maria stuttered before clearing her throat.

"Yes, it is." Maria said, sticking out her hand.

"Ha…good to see some new meat in the tournament," Beowulf laughed as he seized her hand in a strong grip, "Hope you fight as well as your sister."

"…You fought Julia?" Maria asked in a surprised tone of voice.

"Ah, two years ago, she fought well." Beowulf said with a laugh.

"I can assure you…I'm a different kind of person all the way." Maria said with a hint of malice, which Beowulf picked up on but decided not to pursue it.

"Well, if you don't mind, could you point us too our rooms?" Beowulf asked, ready to be moving.

"Sure," Rick jumped in, "Just go right at the statue, should be labeled."

"And us?" Leonidas asked suddenly.

"The left, can't miss it." Micca piped in.

"Thank you, see you around." The Spartan said as he, his team, and team BLCP all walked away.

"Well, that's that…look at the time, I've got to go see Velvet and…" Francois started before Maria grabbed him.

"Let's have that talk…" Maria said with a snarl as the rest of the group watched.

"This should be good…" Thatch said with a grin as Francois started yelling as Maria started chasing him.

"Should we help him?" Allison asked, earning a laugh from Thatch.

"No…let the fool deal with his own problems." The pirate said, flinching as a blow hit Francois.

"Dear Dust help me!" The Frenchman begged, only for Rick to say what everyone was thinking.

"Buddy, you A. tried to get Maria to have sex with someone, B. put a teacher's career at risk, C. made assumptions of sexual preference, and D…well, you're you." Rick said as Francois was grabbed and dragged off.

"Hey, you helping Yang and Weiss tomorrow?" Thatch asked suddenly, to which Micca and Rick nodded.

"Yeah, I got nothing better to do, other than fight Maria in a duel." Rick said with a grin, earning a stare from the trio.

"Why?" Allison asked, slightly concerned.

"Settle the score before the tournament she says, probably won't matter in the long run, but it's good to know where you're at." Rick said with a grin.

"Sure, she wants to settle the score," Thatch said with a wink at the two girls, "Hey, you got a date to the dance yet?"

"Fuck no, I've been busy." Rick said as he suddenly ran off, earning a loud laugh from Thatch.

"This is going to be fun…" The pirate said with a grin…

 **Meanwhile, in Vale…**

Aedan walked into an inn called _No Rest for the Weary_ with a grin, he sat down at the empty counter and rang the bell.

"Coming!" A rather chipper voice came from the back, a middle aged woman came out from behind a door carrying an empty metal tray.

"A shot of port on the rock, load up all four champers and add some whiskey for the kick." Aedan said suddenly, the tray instantly fell to the ground.

"Aedan?" The woman asked, grabbing the man and pulling him to the light, "Dust, it is you…I haven't seen you since…"

"Their deaths, I know, sorry I've only been able to call. Things have been busy and all." Aedan said with a laugh, as the woman hugged him.

"It's been too long, how have you been?" The woman said, pulling up a chair.

"As well as you'd think for a guy who was depressed and suicidal for five years, doing great Mary." Aedan said with pure honesty in his voice.

"Well, that's good to hear, say…you wouldn't happen to own that new bar in town would you?" Mary asked, leaning over with an evil smile.

"Aye, but after dealing with all the bullshit that it took to get it to work, I haven't been able to visit." Aedan said with a grin as Mary smiled as well.

"Well, it's good to see you again." Mary said as she reached under the bar and pulled out a bottle.

"Met your son, good kid, nothing like his father." Aedan said with malice.

"Oh, hush, I know you didn't like Bartholomew, but he wasn't a bad person." Mary said as she poured him a glass.

"Mary, the bastard left you with a kid before he took off, I tell you, if I see the bastard I'm going to gut him," Aedan said with a violent tone that made Mary's eyes go down in shame, "Mary…what aren't you telling me?"

Mary's silence told him everything.

"He's in town, isn't he?" Aedan said, more of a statement than a question.

"Yes." Mary said, earning a groan from Aedan.

"Mary…" Aedan said, before Mary cut him off.

"Don't you start, he came back in town a few days ago with his crew, they've been drinking the nights away. Nothing has happened." Mary said in a weary tone of voice.

"Mary, I know that I don't have any right to say this, but be honest with me…do you still love him?" Aedan asked, earning a scoff from the waitress.

"No…I don't, but he's paying." The woman said, right before the doors opened.

"Mary! Me and the boys want some booze for the hole!" A deep, booming voice rang out. Mary started reaching under the counter when Aedan grabbed her arm.

"I think you'd better find somewhere else to drink." The Irish voiced man said as he turned around to face the group, it consisted of five men. The leader wore a black trench coat as he stepped forward, Aedan recognized him as Bartholomew.

"Aedan Fucking Flint," The pirate said, "Didn't expect to see your ugly mug ever again."

"Aedan…" Mary said, trying to warn the bartender, but his blood was boiling with rage.

"Get out of here, and don't come back." Aedan said, his rage filling the room at the sight of the man.

"Mary, is this the way you treat your kids pop? Or the man who stopped you from being, how do they say it, accosted by me men?" The pirate yelled in a threatening tone, that statement made Aedan pause.

"Accosted? You told me it was a night of drunken passion, you were ACCOSTED?" Aedan yelled, angrier than ever.

"I couldn't tell you…you'd have killed the men yourself." Mary offered weakly.

"Damn right I would have, "Aedan yelled as he turned to face the pirate captain, "Point being, get the fuck out of here laddie."

"Hm…I wonder if that fucking whore you traveled with would care for your language." The pirate said with an evil grin.

"Bartholomew!" Mary yelled in shock, she knew exactly how this was about to go down. Aedan face stopped as he eyed the man.

"Mind saying that again? I believe you misspoke." The Irishman man said, his fist balling up.

"I said that fucking whore wouldn't approve of your conduct." The pirate repeated.

"Mary," Aedan said as he took off his over coat, "I'll keep the blood out of the carpet."

At that, the other four rushed him, the first screamed as Aedan grabbed his arm and slammed his fist into the man's elbow. A sickening crack was heard as the bone jutted out of place, right before Aedan picked him up and threw him into one of the other guys. The third tried to kick him, only for Aedan to grab the leg, slam his fist into the kneecap, pick him up and throw him out through the door. The fourth grabbed a whiskey bottle, and tried to slam it into Aedan.

The bartender calmly grabbed the arm, plucked the whiskey out of it, before grabbing said arm with a single hand. A pop was heard as Aedan dislocated the shoulder, before maneuvering around and slamming his foot into the back of the guy's knee. The guy fell forward, rolling into a ball. Aedan calmly un-corked the bottle and stared at the captain.

"Any other idiots to send after me?" Aedan said as he started drinking, Bartholomew stuttered with rage as the bottle was soon empty. The bartender turned around, and smiled as he heard the footsteps behind him. He whirled around and kicked the captain through the door and followed him.

"You know, the reason I finished this off was simple, I hate to see good whiskey go to waste." Aedan said as Bartholomew charged him, this time, however, Aedan didn't try to disable the man. He slammed the thick glass bottle into said mans' face, said bottle shattered as the bartender kicked the pirate. Blood ran down the man's face as Aedan watched.

"If I ever catch you here again, I'll bloody kill you." Aedan stated as he turned around, the good captain had one last trick up his sleeve though. Aedan heard the click, and whirled around and planted his hands on the ground. A gunshot rang out, only for a pillar of fire to erupt from the ground and block said bullet, Aedan dissipated the fire as Bartholomew looked at him in slight awe.

"Don't let me catch you again…" Aedan said as he walked into the bar, Mary faced him her hands on her hips.

"That was uncalled for…" She started, before sighing and hugging Aedan again, "But…it's good to have you back, old Flinty."


	17. Love and Truth

**Insert "Raised on Rock," by Scorpions**

Sweat clung to Maria's body as she coolly regarded her opponents grinning face, the pair stared at each other intensely, both waiting for the other to move. Maria's eyes noticed every detail, looking for the slightest shift to indicate an attack. She could see his deep breathing, his grip on his ax, his determined face, how his sweat made his shirt cling to his body, perfectly highlighting his physique…wait, what?

Maria shook that thought from her head, focusing on the current situation, her shield was up, and ready for whatever came next. She looked into his eyes, they were a deep chocolate brown, not what'd you'd expect from a deranged psychopath. They both were in the middle of the scale, enough to warrant caution, but not enough to warrant a risky attack.

Rick suddenly roared, charging Maria, who raised her shield, ready for anything. Rick raked his ax across said shield, the centurion eyes widened as she saw the psychopath suddenly dive, converting said momentum into a roundhouse kick. She didn't have time to respond before his foot hit her in the face, sending her a few steps to the right. Rick's triumphant smile was quickly replaced by a groan as Maria whirled around, smacking him with said shield.

Rick went flying across the arena, landing on his feet, if a crowd was surrounding them, a cheer would have been heard. However, the arena was empty except for them, however, only adding to the mood. He cracked his neck, only to stop as he heard the sound of a weapon shifting. The psycho turned to regard Maria, whose mini-gun was whirring.

"Shit!" Rick yelled as he leapt out of the way of the hot lead, the centurion smiled as she watched him dodge. She knew that Rick didn't stand a chance at long range, so she tried to keep him at said range. However, this was Rick she was talking about, so he didn't stay at said range. The psychopath leapt into the air, forcing Maria to shift her weapon back as he slammed his ax into her shield. Rick kept pushing, forcing Maria back a few steps before she suddenly shifted her weight, sending Rick forward and off balance.

She slashed at his ribs, hoping to end said fight, but Rick, after the first slash, simply shifted his weight to get a shot at her back. She growled as she felt the blow hit, the centurion decided to shift tactics and she ran her shoulder into the psychopath. Maria quickly followed up with a few slashes to his torso, before slamming her shield into him once again. This time, the buzzer sounded.

 **End music…**

Rick fell down to the floor, grinning as he did.

"So…that went well." The teen said as Maria offered him a hand, which he took.

"Just hope we don't fight in the festival, hate to beat you in front of an adoring crowd." Maria said with a good hearted laugh.

"Ah, I'm not worried, the chances of us meeting are insanely small," Rick said as the pair walked to the lockers, "Hey, you doing something else for the rest of the day?"

"Nothing…why?" Maria asked, her face getting slightly red.

"I'm heading over to help Yang with decorations, want to help? Could always use some extra hands." Rick said as he put his weapon up, taking off his armor as well.

"Sure…sounds good to me…" Maria said with a slight sigh of relief…though she couldn't place why she was relieved to begin with.

"Well, let's be off," Rick said as they started off towards the dance hall, "Hey…has Thatch asked Allison out yet?"

"No…I'm about to knock some sense into him if he doesn't, however." Maria said with a laugh as they pair walked.

"Seriously, between him and Jaune Arc, do we have enough romantic idiots?" Rick said with a grin as they rounded a corner, only to almost run into a hunched old man in green. Maria was speechless at the sight, she knew who this man was, and that's when Rick face burst out into a big grin as he held out his hand.

"Master Misho, I didn't know you were coming in." Rick said as the man took said hand, Maria eyes widened at the casual way he addressed this…legend in front of them.

"Miss some of my favorite students fighting in the tournament of legends? Wouldn't miss it for the world," The man said with a grin before looking over at Maria, "Maria Gaia, and a pleasure."

"You…you know who I am?" Maria gasped out, she was close to starting to freak out.

"Yes, I do," Misho said with a smile as he offered her had, "Maria Gaia, second year at Beacon, an almost perfect win to loss record, that loss being to the great Pyrrha Nikos herself."

"And…you…you're master Misho of Fate, former headmaster of Beacon…you've been around since before the Great War…" Maria stammered out, amazed at the man in front of her.

"You do your research well, I'll give you that." Misho laughed as he pulled his hand back.

"You…you fought next to my ancestors in the war." Maria whispered, still in shock.

"And against them in others, the Gaia line has a lot of fine generals in it. Tell me…what do you know of Rick here?" Misho asked, getting a strange look from both of them.

"Hey, why am I being brought in here?" Rick asked, only to be ignored.

"He's…a friend, why?" Maria asked, her curiosity showing.

"I was wondering why you were hanging out with one of my best students," Misho said with a chuckle, "I hope you haven't lost to him yet…"

"Oh, hey, look at the time, we should be going…" Rick said, only to deflate as the begging reached false ears.

"It's funny you should mention that…I just beat him in a fight." Maria said with a victorious grin on her face.

"Really? And he didn't hold back? He used his semblance?" Misho asked, appearing shocked at the statement.

"Semblance? I assume he did…" Maria said with an odd stare too Rick, who suddenly seemed nervous.

"Uh…maybe?" Rick said with an awkward grin, only to earn an angry growl from Maria.

"Oh…my…I seemed to have angered her, well…I leave her to you, Rick Grimmes." The master said with a snicker as he walked off, leaving the two.

"Rick…did you use your semblance?" Maria said, as she started walking towards the psycho, who back up.

"Well…no…but…" Maria started, only to find his back to the wall.

"Why is that? Am I not good enough for you to waste it on?" Maria said, a certain amount of hurt in her voice. One of pride and…something else.

"No…it's just…I don't like using it," Rick said, getting a harder stare from the centurion, "Seriously…I just don't…"

"What is it then? Is it something that I should be worried about?" Maria asked, she knew that some semblances were extremely dangerous to their masters and prey.

"No…I can…see a hole in someone's defenses and exploit it." Rick said, the words left his mouth…and Maria suddenly smacked him upside the head.

"Idiot…that sound useful, and why don't you use it?" The centurion asked, getting another awkward laugh from Rick.

"You've seen how I fight," The psycho said with a grin, "Not much room for thinking, or planning for that matter."

"Yeah…I've learned, you fight with pure id, not logic or reason behind it." Maria said, still giving Rick the death stare.

"Well…once again, if I use it…well…I'd have to slow down and think, and I'm not a big fan of doing that." Rick said as he laughed awkwardly, getting another cold stare from Maria.

"That's not an excuse," Maria said, suddenly smacking him, "You should take every advantage you can get."

"Maybe, as I said, I just don't like it." Rick said as he maneuvered around the angry teen.

"Rick…just promise me this," Maria said as she stared at him, "You'll use that next time we fight, right?"

"…Sure, I'll use it." The psycho said with a gesture over his heart, Maria smiled as they continued on their way. The hall for the dance was in front of them soon enough, the doors opened as they approached. Ruby walked out, alongside Thatch, who looked sheepishly at Maria.

"Hey Ruby, sorry we're late." Maria apologized, earning a short laugh from the red head.

"Don't worry about it, we got it set up pretty quickly." Ruby laughed out, suddenly earning a cough from Rick. The group regarded him with curious eyes.

"OK…how the fuck did you get those speakers up there?" Rick said as he pointed at the ceiling, sure enough, some of the speakers were nailed up there.

"That would be my doing," A deep voice rang out, Maria's eyes widened as Beowulf walked towards them, "Couldn't resist helping them."

"What are you doing here?" Rick asked, more than a little surprised at the sight of the man.

"I came by to meet the legendary Ruby Rose, her name is one of talk at many academies." Beowulf said with a pat on the young girls back.

"OK," Maria said with a strange look at Ruby before looking at Thatch, "Thatch…spill it."

"Well…uh…" Thatch said with an awkward scratch of his head.

"He and Alison are going to the dance," Ruby butted in, making the group fall silent, "…what?"

"That's…not exactly something you say out loud, but…" Rick said as he burst out laughing, "That's why we love you."

"So…why is this coming up?" Maria asked, her eyes blazing at Thatch.

"Well…me, Francois, Richard, and Gras here got into a game of craps," Thatch said with a slight amount of shame in his voice, Maria pinched the bridge of her nose as she motioned for him to go on, "Richard made a bet with me…that if he won the next dice roll…I'd have to ask Alison out."

"What did he bet?" Rick piped in, earning a laugh from Beowulf.

"He bet his mustache, apparently that was serious enough for our friend here to take said bet." The huge teen said with a laugh.

"Anyway…he got a seven, so now Allison and I are going to the dance." Thatch said with a slight grin, earning a laugh from Rick.

"Big bad Thatch, undone by greed, who'd a thought?" The psycho said with a grin, earning another good natured laugh from the group.

"Hey, Allison did say one thing though…" The pirate said suddenly, earning a look from Maria, "She wanted to talk to you about something, she's at the dorm."

"Well then, I'll meet her there." The centurion said as she turned around and started off, followed by Rick and Thatch.

"Where are you going?" Thatch asked the psychotic son of a bitch.

"Got to hit the dorm room, feeling a tad tired. Need to be rested up for the big dance, ugh…tuxedos." Rick said with a shiver, earning a laugh from Thatch.

"You and me both…" The pirate said as they walked, a skip in their step.

"Huh…that went well," Beowulf said as he watched them leave before turning to Ruby, "Hey…you going to the dance with someone?"

"…No…why?" Ruby asked, suddenly extremely uncomfterble.

"Just asking, was wondering if the legendary Ruby Rose was actually acting on those looks you gave the Schnee heiress." The huge teen said, making the little girl whirl around.

"What?! How…is it that obvious?" The red head asked, earning a sympathetic look from the Viking.

"Afraid so, tell me…how long has this attraction been going on?" Beowulf asked, getting a short laugh from Ruby.

"It started last semester, I…I messed up, Weiss comforted me. After that, she messed up and I comforted her…I guess that…it just bloomed from there." Ruby said, looking down at the ground.

"Hey…" Beo said as he put his massive hand on her shoulder, "its fine…I've been around enough romance to see things, what you feel for her…it's pure."

"What do you mean pure?" The younger girl asked.

"Love, not lust, is in your eyes, you care about her." Beowulf said as he took his hand off of her shoulder.

"Hey, Beowulf, do you have a date for the dance?" Ruby asked suddenly, earning a laugh from the Viking.

"No…me and Lancelot stay in and play cards all night, he doesn't like crowds." Beowulf said as he started off.

"…well, tell him I said hi!" The red head yelled as the man walked off, he turned and flashed a smile before continuing on his way.

 **In team EMAD's room…**

Maria stared at Allison and Micca with shocked eyes, she had arrived a short while ago alongside Thatch, and Francois was currently at the closet helping the pirate get dressed. However, both were listening intently on the current conversation, especially now.

"Why the hell would you say that?" Maria yelped out, obviously confused.

"What? You obviously like him," Micca said with a huge grin, crossing her arms over her chest, "Besides, if you don't ask soon, someone else might…take him."

"And why would you care?" Maria asked, trying to keep her eyes off of the snake faunas' chest, a slight amount of jealousy rising.

"Maria," Allison said, leaning in closer, "Don't fight us on this…"

"Well, I am…I don't like him, he's just a friend, besides…even if I was…it's proper for a guy to ask a girl to a dance, not the other way around." Maria said, she didn't believe that in the slightest and the group around her knew that.

"Well…good luck then," Micca said as she giggled, "He won't ever ask a girl out."

"Who's that?" The centurion asked, her voice becoming more and more nervous.

"Because…Rick's afraid of dating." Micca said, the room suddenly stopped at that statement. Maria looked at the girl in shock, Francois face palmed, Thatch started roaring with laughter, and Allison just stared with her mouth open.

"Wait…the guy who I saw leap into the fray, half dead with a chainsaw…can't ask a girl out?" Maria asked, getting a nod from Micca.

"…That…might be the most surprising thing I've heard in a while…and I fought a woman the size of an Ursa a few days ago." Allison said, still slightly in shock.

"Yep, but the point stands…ask him Maria, before someone takes him away from you." Micca said with a wink, getting a scoff from the centurion as the snake got up and left the room.

"I don't have a crush on him!" Maria yelled as the door closed, leaving a grinning Micca outside the dorm.

"Did you tell her?" Richards's voice rang out, forcing the faunas to turn to face the monk.

"No…later, right now she's still in denial." Micca answered back, a sad smile falling on her lips.

"She's definitely going to realize tonight," Richard said with a sigh, "Damn it all, why did it have to come to this?"

"Maybe fate, maybe it was just bad luck. We'll never know." The snake said as she walked off, ready to start getting ready for the dance…

 **A few hours later, at the hall…**

Rick hung at the punch bowl, a red solo cup in his hand. He was dressed nice for the occasion, he wore a tuxedo with a purple tie, his hair had been cut short, but his face remained untrimmed. The psycho was simply enjoying his drink when a familiar voice got his attention.

"So…drinking alone?" Maria asked, Rick turned with a snarky comment on his lips, but he stopped as he regarded the centurion. She was wearing a beautiful purple dress, her brown hair ran down to her back. She stood next to Allison, who was wearing a short green dress that matched her eyes.

"Uh…hey, didn't Thatch ask you out? Where is the bastard?" Rick said, ripping his eyes off of Maria.

"He's over there talking with Richard about something, I'm actually about to steal him for another dance…if you'll excuse me." The quiet girl said as she winked at Maria, who scoffed at the message.

"So…that was awkward," Rick said as he turned to regard the centurion, "Enjoying yourself?"

"What? Yes, I am," Maria said before she started giggling, "So…you got a haircut, but didn't shave?"

"Hey…don't cramp my style," The psycho said with a grin, before suddenly stopping and starting off, "Maria…does your sister usually frequent parties like this?"

"No…she doesn't," Maria said as she turned around to see Julia over at the snack table, looking over the crowd in pure boredom. She wore a white military uniform, pristine as always, as well as a set of boots, "That's…kind of odd."

"I'll say, hey, you going to talk to her?" The psychopath suddenly asked, getting a strange look from the centurion, "Hey, you've mentioned that you've started rebuilding bridges with her, maybe a good time to start?"

"I…don't think that she would care too much for that, besides…she's staring at one of your friends." Maria said, pointing across the room. Rick followed her finger to regard Richard, who was currently holding up his hands in defense.

"Wonder what's going on over there?" Rick asked, his voice quiet. At that point, Richard was starting to laugh his ass off.

"Your dice are loaded!" Francois yelled, quietly as to not get attention.

"Yep, yes they are." Richard said, a cheeky grin over his face.

"But…Beowulf? How did he win that match?" Thatch asked, his face red with anger as Allison tried not to laugh.

"Hey, that's for me to know, a magician never reveals his secrets, am I right?" Richard said, barely keeping his composure as he watched the pair get flustered.

"Why I ought to…" Thatch said, raising his fist to slam into the monks face before Allison put a calming hand on his shoulder.

"Thatch…if it wasn't for those loaded dice, you never would have asked me to the dance, then where would we be?" The girl asked, stopping the pirate dead in his tracks, he looked over at the monk, who looked like he was on the edge of tears.

"You…you bastard, this was your plan all along." The pirate said, suddenly grinning.

"For you, yes, for him," Richard said, pointing at Francois, "I just wanted some spending money."

The Frenchman gave the monk a glare before storming off, Allison and Thatch laughed as they walked away too, leaving Richard by his lonesome. At least, for a few seconds, a hand tapped his shoulder. The monk turned to regard the woman, she wore a white military uniform.

"You, me, dance floor, now." She ordered, Richard merely shrugged as he followed her to the center of the dance floor. They grasped hands as the music started playing.

 **Insert "Love Runs Out" One Republic…**

They quickly started whirling around to the music, the beat quickly sweeping them up. Julia was expecting maybe a few twirls or a few quick steps…she had obviously never met Richard before. The monk was a flurry of movement, Julia barely had time to think as they danced. Richard did all the works of a dance master, twirls, footwork, hell, he even got a flip in with Julia.

The song came to a climax as they pair finally finished up…with Richard bringing Julia low to the ground, that's when the applause filled the air. The two looked up to see that the entire dance floor had cleared for them, Richard righted the general, who looked around embarrassedly before she took off.

 **End music…**

Richard did a bow before he walked off, leaving the dance floor open for others to try and match his glory. Julia walked over the corner and leaned against it, she was trying to get her heartrate down. The commander hadn't expected to be drawn in like that…though it was far from unpleasant.

"Took you for a ride?" A voice startled Julia out of her thoughts, she turned to regard a girl in a wheelchair. The general shook her head as she looked over the teen.

"Not really, just didn't expect that much energy, by the way, names Julia." The general said as she stuck out her hand to the wheelchair bound girl.

"Emily, coordinator of team EMBR…not good for much else anymore." Emily said as she looked at her legs, her hands clinching in anger.

"…how did it happen?" Julia asked after some hesitation, she wasn't sure how to address this current situation.

"A…bastard…did this to me, one day…I'm going to make him pay for what he did." Emily said angrily, as much as Julia could admire the conviction in the girl's voice, something seemed a tad…off.

"I hope you succeed in your goals then," Julia said as she started walking away, "I feel sorry for that bastard you're talking about."

Emily watched as the woman walked away, a small smile on her lips. She might have just found a potential ally in her war to kill that bastard. Julia quickly walked away, desperate to get some distance between her and that girl. She almost didn't notice the red haired man standing in her way, but luckily for her, he was keeping an eye out.

"Julia Gaia, a pleasure," The man said with a grin as he stuck out his hand, the great general took it after a moment of hesitation, "Names Aedan Flint, believe you know me from those reports."

"How did…" Julia started, only for Aedan to laugh it off.

"Atlas has a lot of little birds, lassie, trust me on that. A lot of people who either by loyalty or greed are willing to divulge information and weapons stockpiles to third parties, like the Atlesian Paladin?" The bartender said, taking a sip from a red solo cup.

"What are you saying?" Julia asked, suddenly very suspicious at this sudden change. Aedan leaned in close.

"Atlas is at the precipice of a bloody conflict, as well as a war…and their tech ends up in the hands of the White Fang…sounds suspicious to you lass?" Aedan said, his voice smooth and calm.

"How did you know about that?" The general asked, her eye's narrowing.

"Trust me, just as many vultures reside amongst the wolves and the bears of Atlas…now then, enjoy the dance lass. It might be the last time you get to rest for a while." The bartender said as he walked away, leaving the woman alone with her thoughts. He walked right next to Maria, who was currently sitting next to Allison.

 **Insert All of Our Day's Jeff Williams…**

Thatch had left to get the artist some punch, and the pair was watching Rick and Micca dance. Aedan suppressed a laugh as he observed the event.

"So…you didn't ask him?" Allison asked, making Maria's head turn red.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" Maria said as she watched the pair intently, as they moved their bodies to the slow beat of the music.

"Come on…every time you look at Micca you either look at her like you're jealous of her…assets or you look like an animal who is at risk of losing a choice mate." Allison, giggling at her leaders face.

"I am not!" Maria whispered harshly, though she couldn't take her eyes off of Rick and the snake faunas. The snake faunas looked over at the glaring girl, and a quick smile came unto her lips. She winked suddenly, confusing the centurion, before grabbing Rick at the height of the song…and pulling him into a kiss.

Maria vaulted to her feet, her heart pounding, her stomach twisting, she had never felt this way before.

"Do you feel that Maria?" Alison said, leaning close, "That's called jealousy, you like him…you can stop denying it now."

Maria turned to face the artist, but couldn't find the proper words. The centurion looked into the sad smile of Alison before looking back at Micca, who had started laughing. Maria's face went red as she stormed off, she felt like the walls were closing in. Micca eyes followed the girl, before Rick started talking.

"Why did you do that?" The psycho asked, her voice indicating that he was on the edge of tears.

"I had to prove a point, Rick…remember this, and I'm always with you, no matter what. Besides, Maria needed a push." Micca responded, getting a curt laugh from the psycho.

"Maria? Jaune Arc would wear a dress before she would ever ask me out…" Rick replied, only for Micca to giggle.

"You're really that clueless, aren't you?" The faunas said as she suddenly broke off and ran after Maria. Allison got up to follow, Rick watched as the two ran out. He sighed as he sat down in the empty seats.

"Where'd they go?" Thatch's voice made the psycho jump as he turned to regard them.

"Don't know…so, you and Allison? About damn time." Rick said, changing the conversation…

 **Outside the main hall, in front of the statue… (End music)**

Maria prettily fell down in front of the statue, trying to get her heart to stop beating out of her chest. They were right, she had a thing for Rick…that stupid, daft, fool and she liked him. Maria could almost start laughing at the absurdity of it all, but it was not to be. She could hear the footsteps behind her, the centurion whirled around to face…Micca of all people.

"What do you want?" Maria said, her voice harsh.

"Simple…I need to talk to you, about Rick." Micca answered, getting a scoff from the centurion.

"What do we need to talk about? You've already got him, I've seen the way he looks at you. It's a wonder he hasn't asked you out already." Maria yelled, getting a laugh from Micca.

"That's true…but there is another reason why…" The snake faunas started, only for Maria to cut her off.

"What? You're dying and don't want to burden him?" Maria yelled, only for Micca's face to fall. The centurion stopped dead in her tracks…no…it couldn't be, "No…that's…please tell me I'm wrong."

"No, you're not," Micca said, sitting on the statues rims. She reached down and lifted up her dress, revealing a huge scar, "Taijitu, it got me, its venom is slowly working its way through my system."

"Micca…" Maria stammered out, taking a few steps back, before steeling herself and sitting next to the girl.

"I'm going to die, probably within the year, I just wanted a chance to have a Vytal festival with Rick," Micca said with a sad laugh, "One last dance…"

"You…you haven't seen anyone about this? There are world class physicians in Atlas…I can get you…" Maria stammered, the thought of losing Rick was completely gone from her mind.

"No…it won't help, the venom is incurable, I'm going to die no matter what," Micca said as she took the centurions hand, "But…I can die at peace, you love Rick…a lot. I was so afraid that he would be alone when I was gone, but now? Now I know that he has someone to love."

"This entire thing? Was just to make me realize that I had feelings for him?" Maria asked, her voice cracking.

"A push…a small one, he likes you, Maria…trust me, just…make sure to ask him out soon." Micca said, at that point, Maria was wiping tears out of her eyes.

"All this time…I always thought that you were a rival, a person who I was against…now, turns out that you are something entirely different. Micca…I'm sorry for judging you." Maria said, her voice cracking. The snake grabbed the centurion in a hug.

"It's OK, that's something Rick taught me…to forgive, now…tomorrow, and you're going to ask him out, got it?" Micca said forcefully, Maria pulled back from the hug with a smile.

"Are you giving me an order?" She asked, getting to her feet.

"Yes, Yes I am…" Micca said with a laugh, the two girls laughing the night away. Allison watched them from the bushes, stopping herself from giggling. She turned around, ready to return to the dance. The artist stopped, however, as she heard soft music from the gardens, she slowly moved around a few bushes to find the source. She found it quickly, and it shocked her.

Beowulf was dancing with Lancelot in the moonlight, a scroll was playing soft music, and she could only watched as the pair moved…she mostly saw Beowulf's back, but she could also see what appeared to be golden blond hair in the moonlight. Strange…she could have sworn that Lancelot was known for his black hair, her pondering was cut short as the two suddenly leaned forward. They were kissing…and Allison could tell that something was off…she could barely see Lancelot, but she could see the problem.

Lancelot was a strong man, but…this person was slender, and shapely…whoever this was…it was not Lancelot.

 **Back at the dance…**

Rick walked out of the dance, leaning on the pillar next to Ruby.

"Rough night?" He asked, startling the girl.

"What? No…it's just that…Rick, can I ask you something?" The red head said, leaning in close.

"Sure…as long as it doesn't involve were do babies come from…shouldn't be nothing I can't answer." The psycho said with a grin, getting the same from Ruby.

"Rick…when you like someone…but you don't know if they like you back, what do you do?" Ruby asked, making Rick almost burst out laughing.

"You mean…does Weiss like you?" The ax user asked bluntly, making Ruby's face get as red as her cloak.

"What? No…I mean…yes?" She asked, getting a laugh from Rick.

"Ask her, trust me…I think you'll like the answer." Rick replied, the young girl smiled at that statement, before her eyes suddenly shifted.

"Hey…there's someone on that rooftop." Ruby said, prompting Rick to look as well.

"…that can't be good, shall we?" Rick asked, getting a grin from Ruby.

"Let's…" Ruby said, running off with Rick behind her. Both summoned their weapons as they ran, the lockers hitting the ground promptly.

"You take the top, I'll cover the back, let's go!" The psychopath yelled, Ruby nodding as they split up. Rick was soon around the back, ready for anything. His eyes scanned the scene, very little movement was happening…but that's when his eyes landed on that little bit of movement, and they widened with rage.

Mary Blud was looking over a group of White Fang, Rick's grip on his ax tightened…tonight…the bitch was dead…


	18. Rip and Tear the Truth

"Get those crate loaded up," Caroline yelled as she paced the landing zone, "Make it quick, we've got a small window of opportunity when Atlas will be distracted by the dance."

"Are you sure your men can handle such a task?" The woman's voice made Caroline's teeth grind into one another, she hated this Bloody Mary bitch. A damn human working with them was one thing, but this one? She growled as she remembered the things that the men claimed the bitch had done, things ranging from torture to violent rape.

"They can handle more than that." The lion growled as her men loaded the cargo.

"Oh…I know their good at killing," The woman said with a laugh as she turned away, "I merely wanted to make sure that they could lift a crate."

" _Fitta,_ " Caroline swore under her breath as she looked at her men, "Load those up now!"

The various men all yelped out various words of compliance as she pulled out a communicator.

"Bravo Team, report are we clear?" Caroline asked, only for static to reach her ears, "Report?!"

That's when the screams hit them, the lioness whirled around and grabbed her weapon. The screams died down and a scrapping noise could be heard, the sound getting closer and closer…stopping at the hanger doors. A few button presses could be heard and the doors opened, all weapons pointed at the door.

A bloody man stepped in wearing a blue uniform, his face covered with the mask of the White Fang.

"Help…me…" The man gasped out as he fell down, Caroline, moving with speed that would rival Ruby Rose, was by his side instantly.

"Soldier…what happened?" She asked, looking at his wounds, they had been made with a sharp object.

"The…The Axman," The soldier gasped out, "He…he ambushed us, cut us down. He got the others, they covered me as I got away. He tried to get me, slashed me good…but he stopped for some reason."

"He thinks he can intimidate us…He's got another thing coming," Caroline said as she turned to her soldiers, "What are we?"

"The Caroleans!" They yelled, crossing their arms over their chest.

"Find the Axman, bring me him alive…I want to execute him myself." She ordered, her men all nodding as they all fanned out. Soon, it was just her and a few guards as well as Mary, who looked angrier than anything.

"I thought you weren't supposed to use your semblance on this mission." The woman growled.

"Adam might want to see my men in action without it," Caroline growled, "But this is not what we were supposed to be dealing with, right now…one of my men is wounded, we have a psychopath out there, one who is brutal enough to make even the hardiest of White Fang quiver with his displays…"

"Ma'me," One of the communicators crackled to life, "We've found Bravo Team, but there is a problem."

"What?" She asked impatiently.

"There are three bodies…" The soldier stared, before a dagger suddenly barreled through her device and embedded itself into the door controls, shutting the doors tight.

"Well…I hoped that would have lasted for a while," A deep hungry voice rang out behind her, "But it seems I'll have to deal with this now."

Caroline and the rest of her men whirled around to see the wounded soldier get to his feet, ripping off his mask to reveal the mask of the Axman. The man looked around with a snarl as the remainder of the men pulled out various weapons, his gaze fell back on Caroline.

"I'm not here for you," The man said as he pointed across the hanger at Mary, "I want her, don't waste any more of your men."

"Like hell," Caroline growled as she got up, "You kill my men, wear one of their uniforms, and you have the gall to demand I stand by and let you murder a White Fang supporter?"

"Good…" Rick said with a growl, "I was thinking this would be too easy."

 **Insert Take No Prisoners, Megedeth**

The men opened fired at the man, only for him to rush and duck under the hail of lead, grabbing one of them and using him as a shield. He did a quick count, eight not including Caroline, he grinned…this was where the fun began. He threw his shield at the nearest group of them, a trio of them. He rushed forward, sliding under and slamming his ax into one of the poor man's legs. The man yelped in pain as the Axman kicked another one back, ripping the ax out and slashing into the other man's gut.

The man screamed as he watched his intestines fall out, only for that scream to be silenced as the Axman slammed his ax into his brain. The man who he kicked raised his gun, trying to line up a shot, only for the foe to reach into his coat and draw a knife which he slammed into the gun man's chest. The man squeezed the trigger reflexively, distracting the Axman for a brief moment…only for the other soldier to sneak up and stab him in the back.

The Axman gasped in pain as he looked at the blade in his chest…only to grab it, the soldier looked up to see the cold mask of the killer as said killer reached around and grabbed his head. He gasped as the Axman slammed his head into his, and then yelped in pain as he realized there was a blade in his chest…his own. The Axman turned to the rest of the group with a laugh.

"Who's next?" He said with a hungry voice, that's when a shot rang out. The Axman looked down at his leg, a huge gash in it. He looked up to see Caroline's rifle smoking, "Fuck…"

The second shot caught him in the chest, sending him whirling to the ground. Caroline quickly ran over and nudged him over with her weapon, his eyes locked with hers as she lined up the barrel to his head.

"Ma'me!" One of her soldiers yelled, causing Caroline to switch her gaze to him…only to feel a sharp pain in her shoulder. She looked back to see the Axman's foot colliding into her face, sending her careening towards the ground. The lioness scrambled to her feet, looking back at the vigilante. He got to his feet, allowing his wounds to heal.

"Stay back…" Caroline warned as her men got ready to charge in, "He's mine."

The Axman's mask looked over her with its white eyes, his hands tightening on his ax. The two warriors looked at each other with anticipation, waiting for the other to attack first. The Axman yelled as he charged forward in an attempt to get past Caroline's bayonet, only for the faunas to whirl around and slam her stock into his face. The sound resounded throughout the Axman's head as his helmet absorbed the blow, he growled as he followed up with a blow to Caroline's torso, his axe slamming into her.

The lioness roared as she kicked him away, getting him to the end of her gun, she attempted to fire, only for the man to duck under it. He grabbed the barrel and lifted it up, dragging Caroline closer and head-butting her. She growled as she punched him back, only for him to start swinging his ax around again, aiming for her head. Caroline quickly ducked under it and kicked him in the gut, the Axman groaned as he fell down.

"You fight well," Caroline gasped out in begrudging respect, "But it's over…you die here and now."

"Fuck you…" The Axman yelled as he ripped out a fire crystal and slammed it into his chest, lighting himself on fire. The psychopath leaped forward, surprising the lioness as he slammed into her. She could feel the flames on her skin as he pushed her back, that's when Caroline heard a clattering on the ground. She shoved him away to look down and see…her weapons magazine, the lioness looked at her weapon to see that he had cleared the chamber as well.

The Axman quickly slammed an ice crystal into his chest, putting the fire out. Caroline could feel the grin under his mask as he pointed his weapon at her.

"The games up…I…" The vigilante growled, only for a shot to ring out. The Axman looked behind him to see the rest of Caroline's men, "That's not fair you bastards…"

 **End Music…**

The man fell face first into the ground, Caroline quickly ran over, flipped him, and slammed her foot into his chest. He coughed in pain as she aimed her weapon at his head.

"You killed my men…you'll pay for that…" She growled, only for a voice to stop her.

"Don't kill him," Mary said calmly, Caroline whirled around in rage, "He's from Beacon, more importantly, he has links to multiple moles in the White Fang. He's more valuable alive."

Caroline looked at the woman, before growling as she took her foot off of his chest…before slamming her weapon's butt into his head, knocking him out cold.

"Get him loaded up," Caroline ordered, her men moving quickly, "The rest of you get those doors opened."

A chorus of 'yes ma'me," as the soldiers started to follow her commands, she watched as they loaded up the man who attacked her into a shit.

"Wait…" She called out as she walked over to the men carrying his body. The lioness had known…this man who defeated so many of the White Fang…who was he? She leaned over and pulled off his mask…only to drop it. It was just a kid, the same kid who Wun reported Micca was involved with…but…he was just a boy, why was he fighting in this war?

 **The next day, at Beacon…**

Maria paced the hall's nervously, just her luck to finally agree to ask him out and for him to up and disappear. Although, to be honest, as much as she wanted to act like she was angry, she was more concerned for him. Ruby had talked about her fight with the mysterious woman during the night and she would put good money that Rick probably had gone off to try and take on some White Fang.

"Still pacing?" Micca's voice made the teen jump.

"Yeah…Any update on Rick from anyone?" Maria asked hopefully, only for Micca to shake her head.

"Maria…he's fine," Micca said as she put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I've known Rick for years, he's not going to kick the bucket without us knowing."

"Yeah…you're probably right." The centurion said with a sigh as she turned to go down the hallway.

"Hey, since all the first years are gone, we've got a good chunk of the campus to ourselves," Micca said with a grin as she grabbed Maria's hand, "Let's go have some fun."

Maria didn't have any time to object before Micca dragged her off, the rest of EMAD watched from the sidelines.

"How much money do you want to bet Rick's dead?" Francois asked, only to get punched on the back of the head by Thatch.

"Shut up." The pirate said as he watched the pair fly off.

 **At an unknown location…**

Rick woke with a start, his eyes darting around as he took in his environment. The psychopath pulled and tugged at his bonds, he growled as he saw the red lights and the glass in front of him. A two way mirror, he'd bet, his eyes snapped towards the door as it opened. He groaned as he saw the visitor, Caroline of the White Fang, who walked up to him.

"Here's what's going to happen, you are going to tell me what I want to know, then I'll let you go, understand?" Caroline growled, Rick looked up at her face…and promptly spat at her feet. Caroline growled again as she grabbed him and pulled him up, further straining the poor man's arms.

"Listen, you killed my men, I wanted to rip you apart as soon as I saw you, but I was convinced otherwise," Caroline growled, "So you better give me a good reason not to kill you right here and now."

"Fuck you, you crazy bitch," Rick muttered, showing no fear, "I'm not going to say anything to a bunch of crazed lunatics."

"Crazed Lunatics?!" The lioness screamed, "You butcher my men, blow up White Fang recruitment drives, and you call us crazed?"

"At least I don't kidnap little girls and sell them into the sex trade you bunch of filthy animals," Rick roared back, "You don't get to lecture me on morality you cock suckers!"

"Sex trade?" Caroline growled as she threw him back into the chair, punching him, "Don't you ever talk about my men like that, under stood?"

"Your men? The slime that looks into those girls eyes and don't buckle an inch?" Rick roared back, getting another punch to the jaw.

"I told you not to lie about my soldiers. Tell me about how we gun down those who abuse the faunas or storm prisons to free our brother and sisters, but if you like one more time, it will be the last time." Caroline growled.

"Oh, so you want me to suck your huge, White Fang, cock? Sorry," Rick growled as he spat blood, "I'm not blowing the leader of a group of violent, raping, sex trading sons and daughters of whores who claim to be in the right as they gun down civilians, blow up orphanages, and sit by as a group of men rape children to death!"

Caroline screamed as she grabbed him, ripping his out of his bindings and dragging him to the wall.

"You gonna kill me?" Rick growled, "Because when I get to hell, I'm going to spend my sweet time killing of your men again."

Caroline raised her fist, only for the door to open and a strong hand to hold her back.

"That's enough," Uni said as she hauled Caroline back, "You can't kill him, not yet."

"Let me go," Caroline growled, "That's an order!"

Uni proceeded to haul her still protesting leader out, leaving Rick all to his lonesome. Uni set the lioness outside of the room, Caroline slapped her, the snake not flinching an inch.

"I gave you an order!" The woman yelled.

"With all due respect," Uni responded, "Abusing prisoners is not the way to go about this."

"Did you not hear what he said?!" Caroline yelled, "He called us killers, rapist, and thieves!"

"I know, and I've heard them all before," The snake replied calmly, "Caroline…you need to keep your head."

Caroline growled before she shoved her way past the huge woman, she walked right to her barracks. She looked around, when did she stop remembering her own soldier's faces? Caroline quickly shook the thought out of her head as her eyes snapped towards one of the soldiers she did recognize.

"Brigg!" She yelled, the random man jumping at the sound of her voice, "You've come back from a few missions in Vale, I need to ask you a few questions."

"Yes ma'me," He stammered out, "Wha…what do you want to know?"

"Our prisoner has made some claims that I need to have rectified," Caroline growled, "He claims that our people have been selling people into the sex trade, is there any truth to this?"

"Well…uh…" The man stuttered as he looked around, sweat forming on his brow.

"Answer me!" Caroline yelled, making the man jump.

"N…No ma'me," Brigg stuttered, "I don't think we have."

Caroline looked at the man coldly…why was he so nervous? She looked around, noticing that, once again, all these faces seemed foreign to her. That's when someone came bursting into the room.

"Commander!" Wun yelled, breathing hard, "We've got a situation! Grimm are in Vale!"


End file.
